Kremlin confirms Trump asked Putin to halt strikes in Ukraine for a week

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Kremlin on Friday confirmed that US President Donald Trump asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to halt strikes in Ukraine for a week amid extremely cold weather.

“Indeed, President Trump made a personal request to President Putin to refrain from striking Kyiv for a week, until February 1, in order to create favorable conditions for negotiations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov declined to say whether Putin agreed to the request, adding: “I have nothing to add to what has already been said.”

Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday that he “personally asked” his Russian counterpart not to fire on Kyiv and various Ukrainian cities amid “extreme cold” weather conditions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later thanked Trump in a statement on US social media company X, saying the issue was discussed during talks held in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23-24.

Earlier Friday, Zelenskyy told journalists that Ukraine is ready to cease strikes on Russian energy infrastructure if Moscow reciprocates, but stressed there has been no direct dialogue or agreement between Kyiv and Moscow on the matter.