"Because of the extremely cold weather, I personally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop airstrikes on Kyiv and its cities and towns for this week. Mr. Putin agreed. I have to tell everyone that it's a good thing," US President Donald Trump said during a cabinet meeting at the White House on 29/1.
"They are also experiencing a record cold snap, an extreme weather pattern. The people of Ukraine have never experienced such cold," Trump added, comparing it to the ongoing cold spell in Washington D.C.
The US president expressed confidence that his Russian counterpart would honor the commitment. "People kept saying 'don't waste your call, you won't achieve it'. But he actually agreed. We are very happy that Russia accepted, because above all, Ukrainians don't want missiles targeting their cities and towns," Trump emphasized. He did not specify when he spoke with the Russian leader.
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US President Donald Trump at a cabinet meeting at the White House on 29/1. *Photo: AP* |
The Kremlin has not yet confirmed this information.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump, stating he was looking to the US to ensure Russia ceased its attacks. "We hope the US can make this a reality," Zelensky said.
Russian attacks on Ukraine have disrupted electricity, water, and heating supplies amidst the cold winter, risking a national crisis. Ukraine's meteorological agency on 29/1 predicted temperatures would sharply drop to -30 degrees C in the coming days, as authorities race to restore supplies.
According to Zelensky, a temporary ceasefire was discussed in negotiations in Abu Dhabi between Ukraine, Russia, and the US last weekend. The second round of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi is expected to begin on 1/2, as Trump works to advance a plan to end the nearly four-year-long war.
In recent days, Trump has repeatedly expressed confidence that a ceasefire could be achieved. At the cabinet meeting on 29/1, Trump affirmed that "much progress" had been made in negotiations.
Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, who attended the Abu Dhabi talks, stated that "many good things happened" between Russia and Ukraine during the negotiations. According to him, the parties are "discussing a land deal", whereby Ukraine might agree to concede territory it controls in the east, while an agreement on US security guarantees for Ukraine is "basically complete".
Huyen Le (According to AFP)
