Trump says he asked Putin not to target Kyiv for 1 week during brutal cold spell

Trump urges Putin to pause attacks on Kyiv for a week amid severe winter conditions affecting Ukraine's critical infrastructure.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday (January 29, 2026) he has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin not to target the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv for one week as the region experiences frigid temperatures.

The call for a pause in attacks on Ukraine’s capital comes as Russia has been pounding the country’s critical infrastructure, leaving many around the country without heat 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,” Mr. Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

Mr. Trump added that Mr. Putin has “agreed to that,” but there was no confirmation of that from Russia.

Meanwhile, a Russian drone attack killed three people in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region overnight, authorities said on Thursday (January 29), as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow is planning another large-scale barrage despite plans for further U.S.-brokered peace talks at the weekend.

The Zaporizhzhia strike caused a major blaze in an apartment building, according to emergency services.