President Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed not to fire on cities and towns in Ukraine because of the extreme cold in the war-ravaged country.
“I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that,” Mr. Trump said at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting. “He agreed to do that, and I have to tell you it was very nice.”
The president said his advisers told him not to call because Mr. Putin was unlikely to agree to his proposal.
“And he did it because on top of everything else, that’s not what [Ukrainians] need is missiles coming into their towns and cities,” Mr. Trump continued. “I thought it was a very, very good thing.”
Ukraine is amid a freezing winter, with temperatures reaching 20 degrees below zero. Russian attacks have targeted the country’s energy supply, jarring its heating system.
More than 5,000 buildings are said to be without power, and families have been relying on torches and energy storage devices to keep warm. Some soldiers have suffered hypothermia, according to media reports from the country.
“The bad news is that there will indeed be frosts, and it will be difficult,” Andriy Gerus, head of the Parliament’s Energy Committee, told Ukrainian TV.
“The good news is that we need to hold out for three weeks, and then it will get easier,” he added, predicting warmer temperatures.
Despite Mr. Trump saying Russia will avoid targeting Ukrainian cities, Russia attacked a civilian passenger train this week, killing at least five people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strike “an act of terrorism.”
“In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in the same way — purely as an act of terrorism,” he said.
