Ukraine's Zelenskiy expects implementation of agreement not to fire on Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday he expected the implementation of an agreement by Russia not to fire on Kyiv and other cities for a week because of winter weather, as announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Zelenskiy said the days to come would show whether Moscow would abide by such an agreement.

"Our teams discussed this in the United Arab Emirates. We expect the agreements to be implemented," Zelenskiy wrote in English on the X social media platform. "De-escalation steps contribute to real progress toward ending the war."

Speaking immediately afterwards in his nightly video address, Zelenskiy expressed his thanks to Washington for the initiative, which he described as halting Russian strikes on energy targets.

"Thanks to the American side for their efforts in ensuring a stop to strikes on energy (targets) at this time and let's hope that America succeeds in ensuring this," he said.

"We shall see what the real situation is with our energy facilities and cities in the days and nights to come."