US President Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin agreed to pause Kyiv strikes

Washington: US President Donald Trump said that Russia agreed not to fire on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for a week during extreme cold, as his envoy described what he called new momentum in talks since Geneva.

Trump asked special envoy Steve Witkoff to brief his Cabinet colleagues on the diplomatic track. Witkoff said, "The Ukrainians actually said that we've made more progress in the last -- since Geneva than they've seen in the last four years of that conflict."

Witkoff said US officials recently met Russian counterparts. "We had five Russian generals last Sunday in Abu Dhabi with Jared, I, and Dan Driscoll," he said. "And we think we made a lot of progress."

He said discussions would continue. "The talks will continue in about a week," Witkoff said.

Witkoff described draft frameworks already taking shape. "We have a security protocol agreement that's largely finished, a prosperity agreement that's largely finished," he said. He added, "I think the people of Ukraine are now hopeful and expectant that we're going to deliver a peace deal sometime soon."

Trump then described a direct appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Because of the cold, extreme cold… I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kiev and the cities and towns for a week during this," Trump said. (IANS)

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