Russia agreed to a request from U.S. President Donald Trump to suspend strikes on Kiev in the week till February 1 to create favorable conditions for upcoming talks, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed a reciprocal approach in his evening address, saying that Ukraine is ready to act in a completely equivalent manner. He emphasized that Ukrainian forces did not conduct any strikes on Russian energy facilities on Friday. The Ukrainian president also noted that there were no Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities across the country since the early hours of the day except for a single strike on gas infrastructure in Donetsk.
Also, on Friday, Zelensky rejected Russia's idea during a media interview to hold peace talks at the highest level in Moscow and instead invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kiev. He said the date and venue for the next round of peace talks on Ukraine, initially planned for Sunday in Abu Dhabi, may change, noting the developments "in the situation with the U.S. and Iran" could affect the timing of the talks.
In addition, Zelensky stressed that a U.S.-Ukraine security agreement ratified by the U.S. Congress must be signed before any peace treaty with Russia. He said that the deal is of great importance and called such an agreement crucial for Ukrainians to see real progress.
He also outlined that the agreement will allow Ukraine to maintain an army of 800,000 troops with appropriate weapons after a ceasefire.
However, Zelensky remained firm on the issue of land, saying that Ukraine will not accept any compromises regarding its territorial integrity.
Russia agrees to suspend strikes on Kiev to facilitate talks: Kremlin spokesman
