Zelenskyy cautious on Russian bombing pause during extreme cold weather

Original article by Pjotr Sauer

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he was waiting to see whether Russia would observe a proposed pause in strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure, as Kyiv endures a spell of bitter winter cold.

Donald Trump on Thursday claimed that Vladimir Putin had agreed to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for a week after he issued a personal appeal to the Russian leader due to the extreme weather in Ukraine.

Speaking on Friday, Zelenskyy said there was no formal ceasefire agreement on energy targets between Ukraine and Russia, but added that Kyiv would halt such strikes if Moscow did the same.

It remained unclear when any pause was meant to take effect. The Kremlin said on Friday that Putin had received a personal request from Trump to halt strikes on Kyiv until 1 February, but declined to say whether the Russian president had agreed to the request or issued any corresponding order.

But there was a noticeable reduction in attacks by both sides overnight after Trump’s announcement.

Ukraine’s air force said in a social media post that Russian forces launched 111 strike drones and one ballistic missile at Ukraine between Thursday night and Friday morning. Russian pro-war military bloggers also reported that Moscow had largely limited its attacks to the frontline.

Zelenskyy said US officials first proposed the ceasefire during trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi last week, as part of a broader effort to “create more space for diplomacy”.

Both sides agreed last spring to a 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure, which was not upheld and soon collapsed.

Senior Ukrainian and Russian officials are due to meet in Abu Dhabi this weekend for another round of talks, though rising tensions over possible US strikes on Iran have injected fresh uncertainty into the plans.

“The date or the location may change,” Zelenskyy said. “From our point of view, something is happening in the situation between the United States and Iran, and those developments could affect the timing.”

Trump has repeatedly spoken over the past year of progress towards ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but a viable path to peace remains elusive, with Moscow continuing to press maximalist territorial demands. The Kremlin has insisted that any settlement must involve Ukraine ceding the entire eastern Donbas region, including areas still under Ukrainian control.

Kyiv has rejected those terms, though Zelenskyy has said he is willing to consider alternative arrangements, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from parts of the east and the creation of a demilitarised zone.

“We will not give up the Donbas without a fight,” Zelenskyy said, adding that “for now, we have been unable to find a compromise on territorial issues.”