In a striking assertion that has raised eyebrows, former US President Donald Trump claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has consented to refrain from launching attacks on Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, for a week, citing severe cold weather as the reason. However, it's worth noting that this agreement has not been officially confirmed by Russia. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his appreciation for the development.
Although Trump did not clarify when this pause would commence, it coincided with reports of air raid alerts sounding in four Ukrainian regions near the frontline just before Friday morning. In Kyiv, temperatures were forecasted to plummet significantly starting Thursday, with lows expected to reach -24 degrees Celsius (-11 degrees Fahrenheit) in the coming days. Notably, during similar cold spells since the onset of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has ramped up its assaults on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
On Friday, Ukraine's air force reported that the four regions where alarms had been triggered were targeted by an onslaught of 80 Russian drones accompanied by a ballistic missile strike.
During a televised cabinet meeting in Washington D.C. on Thursday, Trump stated, "I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that." He added, "It was very nice. A lot of people said, 'Don't waste the call, you're not going to get that.' And he [Putin] did it."
Trump elaborated on the response from Ukrainians, mentioning, "Almost they didn't believe it, but they were very happy about it because they are struggling badly."
Later that day, Zelensky took to social media to label Trump's announcement as an "important statement" regarding "the possibility of providing security for Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during this extreme winter period." He indicated that discussions had taken place between their teams in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), expressing hope for the agreements to be acted upon.
The BBC has reported that Ukraine is prepared to reciprocate Moscow's actions by suspending its own attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to this potential ceasefire.
Just last week, negotiators from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States convened in the UAE for their first trilateral talks since the conflict began. All parties involved characterized the discussions as constructive; however, no formal announcement has been made regarding Russia's commitment to halting its attacks amid the ongoing extreme cold affecting the region.
Instead, hostilities have persisted, severely disrupting power supply across major Ukrainian cities and leaving millions without adequate heating or electricity.
Electrical companies have been working tirelessly to restore services, but unfortunately, their efforts can be swiftly undone by further Russian aerial strikes. Even when power is restored, it typically lasts only a few hours—enough time to briefly charge electronic devices, but insufficient for adequately heating homes.
