Trump says Putin agreed to stop strikes on Ukraine's cities for a week

"I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that, Trump said in Washington. The Kremlin has not confirmed the halt in strikes. Earlier in the day, Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov avoided commenting on reports of a possible agreement limited to energy infrastructure, telling reporters: No, I can't comment on that yet."

"If confirmed, the pause would offer a brief respite from the severe conditions Ukrainians are facing in major cities. With temperatures expected to fall below 20C (-4F), millions are living without hot water, electricity, or heating. Trump said that he framed his request to Putin as an act of clemency given the dire situation. The Ukrainian government considers Russia's destruction of the energy system a war crime, a view also supported by the European Commission."

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Trump for his mediation and said the possibility of a halt in strikes on energy infrastructure had been discussed between Ukrainian and Russian delegations during last week's trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi: Our teams discussed this in the United Arab Emirates. We expect the agreements to be implemented. De-escalation steps contribute to real progress toward ending the war, he posted on X."

President Donald Trump announced that President Vladimir Putin agreed to a temporary halt in periodic bombings targeting Ukraine's energy system after Trump personally requested a week-long pause. The Kremlin has not confirmed the halt and Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment. If implemented, the pause would provide respite as temperatures drop below -4F and millions lack hot water, electricity, or heating. Trump described the request as an act of clemency. Ukraine regards Russia's destruction of energy infrastructure as a war crime, a position shared by the European Commission. Ukrainian and Russian delegations reportedly discussed the pause during talks in Abu Dhabi.

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