Trump Announces Putin Agrees to Week-Long Ukraine Strike Pause

United States President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to a one-week pause on military strikes against Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, amid an extreme cold snap gripping the region. The decision, Trump said, followed his personal request to Putin during a private conversation, aimed at sparing civilians additional hardship as temperatures plummet below freezing.

Speaking at a White House Cabinet meeting, Trump described the weather in Ukraine as "extraordinary cold, record-setting cold" and emphasized the vulnerability of residents already facing widespread power outages. "I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week," Trump stated. "He agreed to do that, and we're very happy with the decision." He added that Ukrainian leadership was surprised but pleased, noting that "on top of everything else, that's not what they need is missiles coming into their towns and cities."

Russia has not officially confirmed the agreement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the matter when asked, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized public speculation about private...