Trump says he pressed Putin for one-week halt on Kyiv strikes amid freezing cold: ‘He agreed but…’

US President Donald Trump has said that he has asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to not move forward with attacks on Kyiv for the next one week as the region witnesses frigid temperatures. This came after reports of Russia’s ardent strikes on critical infrastructure, including energy generating units, in the dead of winter.

“I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this extraordinary cold,” he said. 

Trump said Putin agreed over this, adding that Russia hasn’t yet confirmed this officially.

Ukrainian authorities reported on Thursday that a Russian drone strike in southern Zaporizhzhia region killed three people overnight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow is preparing another large-scale attack. This comes despite plans for US-brokered peace talks scheduled for the weekend.

Russia invites Zelenskyy for peace talks

Meanwhile, Russia has extended an invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to hold talks in Moscow aimed at ending the nearly four-year conflict between the two nations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

The announcement comes shortly after the first-ever trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States were held in Abu Dhabi last week.

Speaking to TASS, Peskov confirmed that Moscow is currently being considered as the location for the discussions.

This marks the second consecutive day that a senior Kremlin official has expressed Russia’s willingness to host Zelenskyy for peace negotiations. On Wednesday, top presidential aide Yuri Ushakov stated that Ukraine’s leader would be welcome in Moscow if he agrees to meet.

Ushakov further assured that, should Zelenskyy accept the invitation, Russia would guarantee his safety and provide all necessary conditions for conducting the talks, according to Russia Today.