Cold snap or negotiation aid? What Kremlin said about Donald Trump's appeal for Ukraine halt
The Kremlin's clarification came after Donald Trump said earlier that he had made the request to Vladimir Putin because of the "extreme cold" in Ukraine.
The Kremlin on Friday said that US President Donald Trump asked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to halt strikes on Kyiv for a week "until February 1" to help negotiations to end the Ukraine war, while suggesting that Moscow had accepted the proposal.
This comes after Trump said earlier that he had made the request because of the "extreme cold" in Ukraine. But according to the Kremlin, the appeal was made to help negotiations.
"I can say that President Trump did indeed make a personal request to President Putin to refrain from striking Kyiv for a week until February 1 in order to create favourable conditions for negotiations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Neither the US leader nor Moscow clarified when Trump had asked Putin.
Kyiv, which has recently endured severe power shortages, is forecast to enter a brutally cold stretch starting Friday that is expected to last into next week. Temperatures in some areas will drop to minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit), the State Emergency Service said.
Russia has sought to deny Ukrainian civilians heat, light and running water over the course of the war, in a strategy that Ukrainian officials describe as “weaponising winter.”
What Donald Trump said about his request to Vladimir Putin
{{/usCountry}}Russia has sought to deny Ukrainian civilians heat, light and running water over the course of the war, in a strategy that Ukrainian officials describe as “weaponising winter.”
What Donald Trump said about his request to Vladimir Putin
{{/usCountry}}Donald Trump said late on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed not to target the Ukrainian capital and other towns for one week, as the region experiences frigid temperatures that have brought hardship to civilians.
{{/usCountry}}Donald Trump said late on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed not to target the Ukrainian capital and other towns for one week, as the region experiences frigid temperatures that have brought hardship to civilians.
{{/usCountry}}"Because of the extreme cold, I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this. They've never experienced a cold like that. And I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week. And he agreed to do that, and I have to tell you, it was very nice," the US President said during a cabinet meeting at the White House, as quoted by news agency AFP.
{{/usCountry}}"Because of the extreme cold, I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this. They've never experienced a cold like that. And I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week. And he agreed to do that, and I have to tell you, it was very nice," the US President said during a cabinet meeting at the White House, as quoted by news agency AFP.
{{/usCountry}}“A lot of people said, ‘Don’t waste the call. You’re not going to get that.’” Trump said, adding, “And he did it. And we’re very happy that they did it.”
Trump didn't say when the call with Putin took place or when the moratorium would go into effect.
Talks to resume on Sunday
On Sunday, the US-aided peace talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume in Abu Dhabi amid Donald Trump’s efforts to put an end to the nearly four-year-long war with his peace plan. Ahead of the peace negotiations, Putin met the UAE’s President, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Moscow on Thursday.
Even as Russia’s attacks on Ukraine continued, at least till Thursday, Trump said during the cabinet meeting that talks have seen a “lot of progress”.
US’ special envoy Steve Witkoff also appeared confident of a truce and told AFP, "And I think that he (Donald Trump) and Vladimir Putin have a friendship, and I think that allows them to talk and to have a relationship that hopefully will help things out here, get to a settlement and save a lot of lives.”
