Ukraine awaited indicators Friday that Russia is abiding by a dedication that US President Donald Trump stated it made to quickly halt attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, as Kyiv and different areas are gripped by the bitterest winter weather for years.
Trump stated late Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to his request not to goal the Ukrainian capital and different cities for one week, as the area experiences frigid temperatures which have introduced widespread hardship to civilians.
Trump didn’t say when the decision with Putin came about or when the moratorium would go into impact, and the White House didn’t instantly reply to a question in search of readability in regards to the scope and timing of any restricted pause. There was no quick affirmation from the Kremlin that Putin has dedicated to the transfer.
A resident warms up subsequent to a fireplace in entrance of a meals truck of veterans of the third Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces throughout a power blackout, after important civil infrastructure was hit by current Russian missile and drone strikes, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 26, 2026. REUTERS
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was skeptical about Putin’s readiness for such a step as Russia’s all-out invasion, which started on Feb. 24, 2022, approaches its four-year anniversary subsequent month with no indicators that Moscow is prepared to attain a peace settlement regardless of a US-led push to finish the preventing.
“I do not believe that Russia wants to end the war. There is a great deal of evidence to the contrary,” Zelensky stated Thursday in feedback made public on Friday.
Drone and missile attacks proceed
He stated that Ukraine is prepared to halt its attacks on Russia’s power infrastructure, together with oil refineries, if Moscow additionally stops its bombardment of the Ukrainian power grid and different power property.
While there was no official phrase on whether or not these conciliatory steps had been taken, the grinding conflict of attrition dragged on.
Russia fired 111 drones and one ballistic missile at Ukraine in a single day, injuring no less than three folks, the Ukrainian Air Force stated. The Russian Defense Ministry, in the meantime, stated that its air defenses in a single day shot down 18 Ukrainian drones over a number of Russian areas, as nicely as the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea.
A State Emergency Service worker pours tea right into a cup in entrance of tents of a government-run humanitarian assist level, the place residents can heat up, cost their gadgets, get scorching drinks and psychological help, put in subsequent to residence buildings throughout a power blackout in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 25, 2026. REUTERS
Bitter chilly is forecast for Ukraine
Kyiv, which not too long ago has endured extreme power shortages, is forecast to enter a brutally chilly stretch beginning Friday that’s anticipated to final into subsequent week. Temperatures in some areas will drop to minus 22 Fahrenheit, the State Emergency Service stated.
Russia has sought to deny Ukrainian civilians warmth, mild and working water over the course of the conflict, in a technique that Ukrainian officers describe as “weaponizing winter.”
The risk of a respite in power sector attacks was mentioned finally weekend’s assembly in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, between envoys of Ukraine, Russia and the United States, Zelensky stated.
Zelensky stated that he had agreed to adhere to a “reciprocal approach” on power assaults.
Firefighters work on the website of a personal enterprise hit by an in a single day Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 30, 2026. through REUTERS
“If Russia does not strike us, we will … take corresponding steps,” he advised reporters.
Further talks have been anticipated on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, however that might change due to a spike in tensions between the US and Iran.
No settlement on a ceasefire, Zelensky says
It was unclear whether or not and the way any partial truce may work amid ongoing wider preventing and distrust between the 2 nations.
President Trump arrives for the premiere of first woman Melania Trump’s film “Melania” at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. AP
“There is no ceasefire. There is no official agreement on a ceasefire, as is typically reached during negotiations,” Zelensky stated. “There has been no direct dialogue and no direct agreements on this matter between us and Russia.”
Ukraine had initially posited the concept for a restricted power ceasefire at talks in Saudi Arabia final yr, Zelensky stated, however the proposal gained no traction.
Disagreement over what occurs to occupied Ukrainian territory, and Moscow’s demand for possession of territory it hasn’t captured, are a key concern holding up a peace deal, in accordance to Zelensky.
“We have repeatedly said that we are ready for compromises that lead to a real end to the war, but that are in no way related to changes to Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” Zelensky stated. “The American side understands this and says that there is a compromise solution regarding a free economic zone.”
However, Ukraine calls for management over such a zone, he stated.
