Kremlin Confirms Trump Asked Putin to Pause Kyiv Strikes Until February 1

The Kremlin said on Friday that US President Donald Trump asked the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, to refrain from strikes on Kyiv until February 1 to create favorable conditions for talks, according to NTV on January 30. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Trump made a “personal request” aimed at creating “favorable conditions” for negotiations and declined to elaborate. “I have nothing to add on the details beyond what has already been said,” Peskov concluded.

Trump had said he personally appealed to Putin to stop attacks for a week amid extreme cold, and that Putin agreed, but Russia and Ukraine appeared taken aback by Trump’s public description of the arrangement and its scope.

In a nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Washington for efforts to halt attacks on energy infrastructure, saying, “Thank you, America, for the efforts to halt strikes on energy. We hope the United States can make this happen,” and added that “the real situation” at energy facilities and in cities “over these days” would show whether any understanding was being implemented.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia nevertheless launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 111 drones overnight on January 30, with air defenses downing 80 drones and some locations hit.

Earlier, it was reported that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has intensified strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure to pressure Kyiv into negotiations and is seen calculating a limited response from US President Donald Trump after their talks.

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