Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he personally requested Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt attacks on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, for one week as the country faces extreme winter conditions.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said, “They've never experienced cold like that. And I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week. And he agreed to do that, and I have to tell you, it was very nice.” However, there was no official confirmation from Moscow.

The appeal comes as Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left thousands without heat, electricity and running water during one of the coldest winters in years.

Fresh attacks hit southern Ukraine

Russian drone strikes overnight killed three people in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, authorities said. A drone hit an apartment building, triggering a large fire, while separate attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk region injured two others.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that intelligence reports suggest Russia is preparing another large-scale aerial assault. Past attacks have involved hundreds of drones and missiles, many targeting Ukraine’s power grid.

“Every single Russian strike does (discredit the peace talks),” Zelenskyy said, expressing doubts over Moscow’s commitment to upcoming negotiations expected to resume this weekend.

Ukraine flags Starlink drone concern

Ukraine also said it is working with SpaceX to address reports that Russian drones may be using the company’s Starlink satellite internet service. Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said SpaceX had responded quickly and discussions were underway to resolve the issue.

SpaceX has previously supported Ukraine’s civilian connectivity needs but has tried to limit military use of the service.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s emergency services warned that temperatures in parts of the country could plunge to minus 30 degrees Celsius in early February, worsening the humanitarian crisis.

Russia has launched more than 6,000 drones at Ukraine in the past month alone, Ukrainian officials said.

The number of soldiers killed, injured or missing on both sides during the war could reach 2 million by spring, with Russia sustaining the largest number of troop deaths for any major power in any conflict since World War II, according to an international think tank report published Tuesday.