US President Donald Trump was “unsurprised” to learn that Russia had resumed heavy attacks on Ukraine just hours after he boasted about brokering an energy ceasefire with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House said on Tuesday.
“I spoke with the president about it this morning, and his reaction was, unfortunately, unsurprised,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters outside the West Wing.
Russia overnight on Tuesday unleashed a storm of more than 450 drones and around 70 missiles on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, injuring at least 9 people and cutting power to thousands of buildings as temperatures dropped below -20°C (-4°F).
Oleh Syniehubov, regional governor of Kharkiv, said that 60% of consumers in the region had been left without electricity following the bombardment overnight which lasted “almost five hours in a row” and involved ballistic missiles, drones and cluster munitions.
Late on Monday, Trump had bragged about getting Putin to pledge to refrain from striking Kyiv and other cities.
“I asked him if he wouldn’t shoot for a period of one week. No missiles going into Kyiv or any other towns, and he’s agreed to do it. So it’s something,” he said in the Oval Office.
“I think we’re doing very well with Ukraine and Russia. For the first time, I’m saying that,” the US president added. “I think we’re going to, maybe, have some good news.”
Trump initially announced the truce last Thursday, when he said he had made a personal appeal to Putin to stop hitting Kyiv and “various towns” for a week due to exceptionally cold weather.
“He agreed to do that. And I have to tell you it was very nice,” he told reporters.
However, on Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov clarified that the ceasefire would only hold until Sunday, just as temperatures were set to plummet once again. Ukraine has said the ceasefire should have continued until this Friday.
“Either Russia now believes that there are four incomplete days in a week instead of seven, or they are really betting only on war and waiting for the coldest days of this winter,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday after the sweeping attacks.
“We believe this Russian strike clearly violates what the American side discussed, and there must be consequences.”
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, said: “Putin waited for the temperatures to drop and stockpiled drones and missiles to continue his genocidal attacks against the Ukrainian people.”
“Neither anticipated diplomatic efforts in Abu Dhabi this week nor his promises to the United States kept him from continuing terror against ordinary people in the harshest winter,” he added.
Ukraine’s delegation is set to meet tomorrow with US and Russian envoys for peace talks in Abu Dhabi, but Zelensky said on Tuesday that the work done by Kyiv’s side would be “adjusted” after the overnight bombardment.
“Each such Russian strike confirms that attitudes in Moscow have not changed: they continue to bet on war and the destruction of Ukraine, and they do not take diplomacy seriously,” he said.
“The work of our negotiating team will be adjusted accordingly.”