KYIV: Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to a temporary halt in strikes on Kyiv for a week, ending Sunday, following a request by US President Donald Trump, Kremlin officials said on Friday.
Read More: Trump claims Putin agrees to pause strikes
The pause, requested due to extreme cold, comes as temperatures in Kyiv are expected to plunge to -30°C, raising fears of a worsening humanitarian crisis. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Trump personally asked Putin to refrain from targeting the Ukrainian capital and surrounding areas to facilitate ongoing US-led negotiations aimed at ending the nearly four-year conflict.
President Putin agreed not to strike Kiev for a week due to the record-cold winter — President Trump
“I personally asked Putin not to bomb Kyiv and other cities for a week, and he agreed to this,” pic.twitter.com/0UH9O9pbyC
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) January 29, 2026
“I can say that President Trump did indeed make a personal request to President Putin to refrain from striking Kyiv for a week until Feb 1 in order to create favourable conditions for negotiations,” Peskov said. Trump echoed the announcement, stating the appeal was made “because of the cold, extreme cold.”
Ukraine has reported a relative lull in the usual barrage of drone and missile attacks on Kyiv this week. President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the temporary pause, saying that if Russia refrains from targeting energy infrastructure, Ukraine will not retaliate against Russian assets. Nevertheless, minor attacks continued on Thursday, hitting civilian infrastructure in northern Chernigiv and a residential building in southern Zaporizhzhia.
The ceasefire comes ahead of the second round of negotiations in Abu Dhabi, which are expected to focus on the contentious issue of territory. Moscow occupies significant portions of southern and eastern Ukraine and has demanded Kyiv withdraw from parts of the Donetsk region. Ukraine maintains that such a move is unacceptable.
“So far, we have been unable to find a compromise on the territorial issue, specifically regarding part of eastern Ukraine,” Zelensky told journalists.
Read More: Trump claims Zelenskiy, not Putin, blocks Ukraine accord
While the temporary pause may provide short-term relief to residents, the humanitarian situation remains dire, with millions facing freezing conditions and disrupted access to heating due to ongoing damage to Ukraine’s energy grid.