Moscow Agrees to Trump Request for Temporary Strike Pause in Ukraine
The Kremlin confirmed on Friday that it has agreed to a temporary halt of airstrikes on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, through February 1. The decision follows a personal appeal from U.S. President Donald Trump, who cited extreme winter weather and a desire to facilitate ongoing peace negotiations as the primary drivers for the brief cessation of hostilities.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that the Russian government had received a specific request from the White House to refrain from targeting Kyiv and other urban centres for a one-week period. Peskov stated that President Vladimir Putin agreed to the request "in order to create favourable conditions for negotiations," framing the move as a diplomatic gesture ahead of high-level talks scheduled for this weekend.
The announcement comes as a severe cold snap grips the region, with temperatures in parts of Ukraine plummeting toward -30°C. President Trump first disclosed the arrangement during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, describing a private conversation in which he urged the Russian leader to consider the humanitarian impact of the cold. Trump characterised the agreement as a successful outcome of direct personal diplomacy, stating that Putin's compliance was "very nice".
While the Kremlin's statement focused on the diplomatic leverage of the pause, the humanitarian reprieve is significant for a Ukrainian energy grid that has been battered by months of sustained Russian missile and drone attacks. Millions of Ukrainians have faced rolling blackouts and a lack of central heating during one of the harshest winters in recent memory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy greeted the news with cautious optimism, acknowledging the "important statement" from Washington regarding the security of Kyiv and other cities. However, Zelenskyy noted that while the capital saw a relative reprieve from large-scale missile strikes overnight, frontline regions remained under fire. He emphasised that Ukraine remains ready to reciprocate a pause in strikes on energy infrastructure but stressed that a formal, long-term ceasefire has not yet been reached.
The temporary pause is strategically timed to coincide with a second round of trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi. Delegations from the United States, Russia, and Ukraine are expected to meet on February 1 to continue discussions that began earlier this month. The U.S. delegation, heavily influenced by the Trump administration's "peace through strength" approach, is attempting to broker a framework to freeze the nearly four-year-old conflict.
