Ukraine Sees Quieter Night After Trump Says Putin Paused Attacks

Ukraine has seen a relatively quiet night after Donald Trump said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had agreed not to attack Kyiv and “various towns” during a cold snap.

The Kremlin confirmed it had received the US president’s request, but declined to give specifics about what was agreed.

While Trump did not say when the pause could begin, air raid alerts sounded in just eight Ukrainian regions overnight into Friday, with two minor injuries recorded in Zaporizhzhia.

Temperatures in the capital, Kyiv, are due to plummet to -24C (-11F) over the coming days. Russia has recently intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, as it has during cold periods since its invasion began.

Kyiv has previously seen periods without aerial attacks, so it is unclear whether a quieter night in the capital was a result of any agreement between Trump and Putin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Putin had received a personal request from Trump to halt strikes on Kyiv until 1 February, to create favourable conditions for peace talks, but declined to comment further.

Ukrainian officials had been expecting a major attack this weekend ahead of the current cold spell – if that does not take place, it could mark a significant step in US-led efforts to bring the war to a close.

Ukraine’s air force said more than 100 drones and a ballistic missile were fired at regions near the front line overnight.

But, as of Friday morning, there have been no fresh attacks on electricity or heating infrastructure crucial for keeping people warm.

Trump told a televised cabinet meeting in Washington DC on Thursday: “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.”

The US president said of the Ukrainians: “Almost they didn’t believe it, but they were very happy about it because they are struggling badly.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later wrote on social media that Trump had made an “important statement about “the possibility of providing security for Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during this extreme winter period”.

He told reporters on Friday that there had been no “direct dialogue or agreement” with Russia to pause attacks on energy infrastructure, but that Kyiv would act in kind if Moscow did so.

Ukraine has targeted oil depots and refineries within Russia in a bid to limit its ability to finance its invasion.

Meanwhile, residents of Kyiv who spoke to the BBC expressed scepticism about Trump’s purported deal.

“I don’t believe that Putin will stop even for a week,” said Olena. “We have seen so many talks and deals but, nevertheless, he continues to do what he wants.”

She added: “We have survived -20C recently, and if air strikes decrease even a little, then we’ll overcome the next week as well.”

Meanwhile, Hennadiy said he too did not believe Russia would stop targeting Kyiv’s energy infrastructure, but expressed hope that it would.

“If we get a one-week respite, it will be good,” he said. “These days, -30C is a catastrophe for us. Before it was OK and we could cope.”

Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators met in the United Arab Emirates last week for the first trilateral talks since the war began in 2022.

All sides described the talks as constructive, but while Zelensky said Russia pausing its attacks for the duration of the cold snap had been discussed, no agreement was announced.

Instead, attacks continued, crippling the power supply to major Ukrainian cities, leaving millions without heating or electricity.

Kyiv’s Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has said 378 apartment blocks in the capital remain without heating.

Electrical companies have been carrying out round-the-clock repairs, but their work can be quickly undone by Russian air attacks.

Even when power is restored, the supply only lasts a few hours – enough to charge appliances but not to substantially warm up homes.

A second round of peace talks, scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, may now be postponed and relocated due to “what’s happening between America and Iran”, Zelensky said.

Trump has threatened Tehran with military action over a crackdown on nationwide protests that human rights monitors say have led to thousands of deaths, as well as its nuclear programme.

Negotiations on a peace plan have been mediated by the US for months, with a key sticking point being Ukraine ceding territory to Russia.

Moscow currently controls around a fifth of Ukraine, including most of the eastern Donbas region. It wants Kyiv to hand over the areas of the Donbas it has not yet taken by force, while Ukraine reportedly wants Russia to hand back control of its largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia.

“We are not ready for compromises that violate territorial integrity,” Zelensky said on Friday. “We will not hand Donbas or the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to the Russians without a fight.”