Putin kept his word: Trump about energy truce
US President Donald Trump has said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin "kept his word" regarding the announced energy truce.
Source: Trump speaking to journalists at the White House
Quote: "It was Sunday [25 January] to Sunday [1 February], and it opened up and he hit them [Ukraine] hard last night.
He [Putin] kept his word on that. It's a lot. One week [...] we'll take anything because it's really, really cold over there."
Details: When asked whether the pause could be extended, Trump said he wanted the war to end.
"I would like him [Putin] to. I want him to end the war," he noted.
Previously: On the night of 2-3 February, Russia carried out a combined attack on Ukraine using missiles of various types launched from air and ground platforms, as well as attack UAVs. Air defence downed or jammed 450 Russian targets out of 521 launched. A total of 27 missile hits and 31 drone strikes were recorded at 27 locations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the work of the Ukrainian delegation in negotiations concerning a peaceful settlement would be adjusted due to the Russian attack on Ukraine's energy sector on 2-3 February.
Zelenskyy believes that the Russians disregarded a request from the US and broke the energy truce by launching a powerful attack on Ukraine on the night of 2-3 February.
Zelenskyy also said that he expects a US response to the Russian missile attack on Ukraine, recalling that Donald Trump had personally asked for strikes on energy infrastructure to stop.
Background:
- Trump said that he had personally asked Putin to stop attacks on Ukraine for a week due to the freezing cold weather.
- Pro-war Russian social media channels reported on 29 January that Moscow had ordered its forces on 28 January to stop strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.
- Zelenskyy confirmed that the negotiating teams in the UAE discussed halting attacks on energy facilities.
- Ukraine has recorded very low temperatures in recent days. Following a large-scale Russian attack on 24 January and damage to critical infrastructure, half of the capital's housing stock was left without heating. As of 2 February, more than 200 buildings in Kyiv remain without heating.
- Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state-owned electricity transmission operator, is forced to impose emergency power cuts almost every day.
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