Ukraine has seen a relatively quiet night after Donald Trump said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had agreed not to attack Kyiv and various towns during a cold snap.
The Kremlin confirmed it had agreed to cease attacks on Kyiv until Sunday to create favourable conditions for peace talks.
While the US president did not specify when the pause would begin, air raid alerts sounded in just eight Ukrainian regions overnight into Friday, with two minor injuries recorded in Zaporizhzhia.
Temperatures in the capital, Kyiv, are due to plummet to -24C (-11F) over the coming days. Russia has recently intensified attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, similar to previous cold periods since the invasion began.
Ukrainian officials had been expecting a major attack this weekend ahead of the current cold spell. If that does not materialize, it could represent a significant step in US-led efforts to conclude the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Friday that Putin had agreed to halt strikes on Kyiv for a week upon Trump's personal request. He mentioned no ties to the cold weather and refrained from discussing whether Russia would avoid targeting energy resources, framing the pause as support for US-mediated peace negotiations.
Despite a decrease in recent attacks, air raid alerts are frequent in Kyiv, recording 530 this week alone. The Ukrainian air force reported that over 100 drones and ballistic missiles were fired at frontline regions overnight, but there were no fresh attacks on energy or heating infrastructure by Friday morning.
Trump's televised remarks affirmed, I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Trump’s statement as significant for the security of Ukrainian cities during the harsh winter.
However, Kyiv residents voiced skepticism about the potential deal, citing a history of broken agreements from Russia. Some expressed hope for even a slight decrease in attacks to help them endure the extreme cold expected in the coming days.
