Trump Says Putin Agreed To Stop His Attacks On Ukraine. Reality Says Otherwise.

It is unclear what the president meant when he said Putin would not “fire on” Kyiv and other cities, as the attacks and deaths haven't stopped coming.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Thursday praised Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for agreeing to his request to pause his attacks on Ukraine during a bitter cold snap there, even as Ukrainians and outside observers report that lethal attacks on civilians continue apace.

“I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this extra ― it’s not just like cold, it’s extraordinary cold, record-setting cold over there too, they’re having the same,” Trump said at a photo opportunity at the White House before his Cabinet meeting. “It’s a big ― it’s a big pile of bad weather, the worst, but it was really ― they said they’ve never experienced cold like that, and I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that. And I have to tell you, it was very nice. People said, ‘Don’t waste the call, you’re not going to get that.’ And he did it, and we’re very happy that they did it.”

It was unclear what Trump meant, specifically, and the White House did not provide any further details. Trump often brags about his relationship with Putin, but has had little success in persuading the Russian leader to give up his four-year-old invasion of Ukraine, and it was uncertain Thursday whether the purported pause was real.

Trump’s envoys met with Ukrainian and Russian representatives last weekend in Abu Dhabi to negotiate an end to the war caused by Russia’s 2022 invasion of its neighbor, but a Russian promise to pause its attacks was not mentioned prior to Thursday. Similarly, there has been no disclosure of a recent phone call between Trump and Putin by either side.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy nevertheless took the opportunity to thank Trump publicly two hours later.