Former U.S. President Donald Trump recently announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, set to last one week. “Due to the extreme cold, I personally requested President Putin to refrain from attacking Kyiv and other cities for a week. He kindly agreed to this during the severe weather,” Trump remarked during a cabinet meeting on Thursday. The Kremlin has yet to confirm this agreement. Trump further noted, “Many doubted the call would be fruitful, but the outcome was positive, and we are pleased with the response.”

The ceasefire news emerges as Kyiv prepares for an impending cold snap, with temperatures expected to plummet starting Friday and continuing into the middle of next week. Russian military actions have severely impacted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving large areas without heating amid the freezing conditions. Meanwhile, a tragic incident occurred in southern Ukraine, where a Russian drone strike killed three people in the Zaporizhzhia region. This development unfolds as U.S.-mediated peace talks are set to commence this weekend.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains wary, suggesting that Russia might be gearing up for a significant offensive despite ongoing diplomatic negotiations. The Trump Administration has informed Ukraine that any U.S. security assurances would require Kyiv to first agree to a peace proposal, which involves ceding territory to Russia. According to sources from the Financial Times, the U.S. is urging Ukraine to relinquish control of the Donbas region, comprising the industrial areas of Luhansk and Donetsk.

The White Housealso suggested it would promise Kyiv more weaponry to reinforce its peacetime army, but only on the condition that it agrees to withdraw its forces from the parts of the eastern region it still holds, according to two sources. Zelensky was ready to sign documents on security guarantees and a postwar $800 billion ‘prosperity plan’ with the US as early as this month, giving him the upper–hand in future negotiations with the Kremlin. But the Trump administration is now signaling that any American security assurances depend on reaching an agreement with Moscow first.

Washington is yet to give its final approval to either agreement, despite the fact that Zelensky said the texts of the security guarantees, which he discussed with President Donald Trumpat Davos last week, were ‘100 per cent ready’. Putin has repeatedly demanded that Kyiv make painful territorial concessions to end the war, but Zelensky has consistently said Ukraine would not hand over the Donbas in exchange for peace. A top Ukrainian official said it was increasingly ambiguous whether Washington would commit to assurances. ‘They stop each time the security guarantees can be signed,’ the official said.