U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to halt attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for one week, citing extreme cold weather across Ukraine.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said he personally raised the request with Putin during a phone call earlier on Thursday.
“Because of the cold, extreme cold, I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week, and he agreed to do that,” Trump said.
Trump described the weather conditions as “record-setting” and said Ukraine was experiencing temperatures comparable to an ongoing cold snap in Washington.
Trump added that some advisers had questioned the value of making the request, but said Putin agreed to the pause.
“A lot of people said, ‘Don’t waste the call. You’re not going to get that.’ And he did it,” Trump said.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Kremlin regarding the reported agreement.
Ukraine is facing one of its harshest winters since Russia’s invasion, with repeated Russian strikes on energy infrastructure leaving millions without reliable electricity, heating and water supplies. Ukraine’s state weather agency has forecast temperatures dropping to minus 30 degrees Celsius in the coming days.
Despite Trump’s comments, Russian attacks killed at least six people in central and southern Ukraine on Thursday, according to regional authorities and emergency services.
Trump said there had been progress in U.S.-brokered talks aimed at ending the conflict, which is approaching its fifth year.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, speaking at the same Cabinet meeting, said discussions between Russia and Ukraine were continuing. Witkoff said the parties were discussing territorial issues, while talks on security and economic agreements were largely completed. He added that negotiations were expected to resume in about a week.
Trump and Putin last met in person in Alaska in August 2025, a summit that ended without a breakthrough.
U.S. to reopen Venezuelan airspace following talks
Trump also said the United States intended to reopen Venezuelan airspace after discussions with Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez.
He added that major U.S. oil companies were preparing to visit the country to evaluate potential projects in the energy sector.
Trump did not provide details on when the airspace decision would take effect or what conditions would apply.
Trump says White House seeking bipartisan path to avoid shutdown
Addressing domestic issues, Trump said his administration was working with lawmakers from both parties to prevent a partial government shutdown, as negotiations continued over federal funding.
Efforts to advance a spending package have stalled in the U.S. Senate, largely due to disagreements over immigration enforcement funding.
Hamas played major role in hostage releases from Gaza
Trump said Hamas had been a major factor in securing the return of hostages from Gaza and said it appeared the group was moving towards disarmament.
Witkoff said the second phase of the U.S.-backed plan to bring an end to the Gaza war was now under way.
Next Federal Reserve chair
Trump also informed that he would announce his choice for the next chair of the Federal Reserve next week, bringing an end to speculation over who will succeed Jerome Powell.
“We’re going to be announcing next week,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting. “And it’ll be a person that will, I think, do a good job.”
Trump’s comments came a day after the Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged, maintaining the target range at 3.5% to 3.75%, citing economic activity expanding at a “solid” pace.
Trump criticised current borrowing costs, saying interest rates were too high.
“Rates are unacceptably high,” he said. “We should have the lowest interest rate anywhere in the world. They should be two points and even three points lower.”
Powell’s term as chair of the U.S. central bank is due to expire in May 2026.
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Chevron is in talks with Iraq’s oil ministry over potential changes to the commercial framework governing the West Qurna 2 oilfield, one of the world’s largest producing assets, after Baghdad nationalised the field earlier this month following U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia’s Lukoil.
American Airlines said on Thursday it plans to resume daily service to Venezuela once regulators approve and security assessments are complete, marking the carrier's return just weeks after the U.S. military operation that removed Nicolás Maduro from power.
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