Leader Claims Moscow Agreed to Week-Long Pause in Capital Strikes

The nation’s head of state claimed Thursday that he had secured an agreement from Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt strikes on Ukraine’s capital for one week, citing the region’s severe winter weather conditions.

According to the leader, he “personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this extraordinary cold, record-setting cold.” The head of state described the weather as “a big pile of bad weather” affecting both regions, reportedly stating that locals “have never experienced cold like that.”

The announcement came during the leader’s first Cabinet meeting of 2026, where special envoy Steve Witkoff provided updates on ongoing negotiations with Moscow aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine. The war, which began during the previous administration, is approaching its four-year anniversary in February.

The head of state indicated that he had ignored advice not to “waste” a call to the Russian leader, claiming the outreach yielded positive results. “He agreed to do that,” the leader said of Putin’s alleged commitment. “And I have to tell you, I was very nice. A lot of people said, don’t waste that call. You’re not going to get that. And he did it.”

The claimed agreement comes as Ukraine’s capital faces significant infrastructure challenges. International media reports indicate that over 1,300 apartment buildings in the city remain without heating amid the harsh winter conditions, while strikes on energy infrastructure have reportedly left much of the population without electricity and running water.

Observers note that the nation’s current administration has made ending the Ukrainian conflict a key priority, with the leader having campaigned on promises to resolve the situation quickly. However, the head of state has acknowledged that the war has proven more complex to resolve than initially anticipated.

Envoy Witkoff reported that negotiations have progressed, stating that Ukrainian citizens are “hopeful and expecting that we’re going to deliver a peace deal sometime soon.” He detailed recent trilateral discussions involving administration representatives and officials from both Ukraine and Russia.

“We had five Russian generals last Sunday in Abu Dhabi with Jared and I and Dan Driscoll. We think we made a lot of progress,” Witkoff said, referring to fellow envoy Jared Kushner and other administration officials. The envoy suggested that security and prosperity agreements are “largely finished,” though he provided few specifics about the terms.

Weather data indicates that temperatures in Ukraine’s capital have ranged from 34° Fahrenheit to -5° Fahrenheit this month, conditions similar to those affecting much of the nation during recent winter storms. The severe weather has reportedly complicated the humanitarian situation in conflict-affected areas.

The administration has maintained that the conflict would not have occurred under the current leader’s previous term, a claim that has become central to the government’s foreign policy narrative. Critics, however, question the sustainability of any temporary agreements and the broader diplomatic approach to resolving the longstanding conflict.