US President Donald Trump has revealed that he personally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold off on targeting Ukrainian cities for a week due to the extreme cold weather sweeping the region. According to Trump, Putin has agreed to this pause, saying "a lot of 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."
The request comes as Ukraine grapples with severe power shortages and frigid temperatures, with temperatures expected to drop as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas starting Friday. Russia has been intensifying its attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure, leaving many without heat or running water.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned that Moscow was planning another large-scale barrage despite plans for further US-brokered peace talks at the weekend. Trump's statement suggests a temporary truce, but details about the scope and timing of this pause remain unclear.
Russia has been using winter as a tactic to wear down Ukrainian resistance, while Ukraine describes this strategy as "weaponizing winter". The war has already taken a devastating toll on civilians, with 2,514 killed and 12,142 injured in 2024 alone. Ongoing attacks by Russia have also raised concerns about the credibility of peace talks.
The conflict is expected to drag on for months, potentially reaching its first million casualties by spring, according to estimates from an international think tank report. The US has sought to steer a delicate course, providing connectivity through SpaceX's Starlink satellite service while restricting its use for military purposes.
The request comes as Ukraine grapples with severe power shortages and frigid temperatures, with temperatures expected to drop as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas starting Friday. Russia has been intensifying its attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure, leaving many without heat or running water.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned that Moscow was planning another large-scale barrage despite plans for further US-brokered peace talks at the weekend. Trump's statement suggests a temporary truce, but details about the scope and timing of this pause remain unclear.
Russia has been using winter as a tactic to wear down Ukrainian resistance, while Ukraine describes this strategy as "weaponizing winter". The war has already taken a devastating toll on civilians, with 2,514 killed and 12,142 injured in 2024 alone. Ongoing attacks by Russia have also raised concerns about the credibility of peace talks.
The conflict is expected to drag on for months, potentially reaching its first million casualties by spring, according to estimates from an international think tank report. The US has sought to steer a delicate course, providing connectivity through SpaceX's Starlink satellite service while restricting its use for military purposes.
. Ukraine's been saying they're not done fighting yet and now we're hearing rumors of a truce? Sounds sketchy. And what's with the US just jumping in at the last minute? I don't know about anyone else, but I think we should be looking out for both sides here...
Ukraine needs help ASAP and Putin just paused the bombing because of bad weather lol not like he was worried about civs or anything. winterizing warfare is super messed up btw its like russia is trying 2 turn the temp into some kinda weapon 
i mean like the us and russia both seem to have their own interests but can't they just put human lives first? it's not like we're gonna solve world hunger with all these arms deals & diplomatic games... or something, anyway. and what's up with this 'weaponizing winter' thing? does that even sound legit? 
just when you think it can't get any crazier 
... Trump's request is like something out of a movie, I mean who else would call Putin and ask him to hold off on bombing Ukraine? 
. It's not just about the cold weather, it's about control and power. And with 2k+ casualties so far, it's time for world leaders to step up their game 
. If the cold weather really did get Putin to hold off on attacking, that's just great, but we need some concrete plans to make this pause permanent 
. It's all well and good for Trump to say they agreed, but what about Ukraine's power shortages? Are they getting the help they need? 
. We need more than just temporary truces, we need real solutions to end this war ASAP 
.
. But at the same time, I'm glad that something is being done to ease the suffering of the Ukrainian people during this winter cold snap. 
.
. And the US is like "oh we'll just provide some internet service" 
. I don't know if it's enough, but it's better than nothing.
. And seriously, how many more innocent lives gotta get lost before we can even think about finding a real solution? 500k+ casualties already and counting... its like, what are we doing over there? 
and what's with russia using winter as a tactic? it's so not fair to the ppl of ukraine, they're already going through so much 