Firefighters continue their work in homes damaged, and some completely destroyed, following a Russian Shahed drone attack in Vilnyansk, Zaporizhia, Ukraine, on Jan. 29, 2026. Three people were killed in the attack: a 62-year-old man and two women aged 26 and 50. Seven private homes were damaged, one of which was completely destroyed.

President Donald Trump on Thursday praised Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for agreeing to his request to pause his attacks on Ukraine during a bitter cold snap there, even as Ukrainians and outside observers report that lethal attacks on civilians continue apace.

“I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this extra ― it’s not just like cold, it’s extraordinary cold, record-setting cold over there too, they’re having the same,” Trump said at a photo opportunity at the White House before his Cabinet meeting.

“It’s a big ― it’s a big pile of bad weather, the worst, but it was really ― they 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.

“People said, ‘Don’t waste the call, you’re not going to get that.’ And he did it, and we’re very happy that they did it.”

It was unclear what Trump meant, specifically, and the White House did not provide any further details. Trump often brags about his relationship with Putin, but has had little success in persuading the Russian leader to give up his four-year-old invasion of Ukraine, and it was uncertain on........

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