Published: 15:18, January 31, 2026 | Updated: 19:14, January 31, 2026
Zelensky: Ukraine ready for energy ceasefire with Russia
By Xinhua
People who have no power at home following Russia's air attacks wait in line to receive free hot meals in a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan 30, 2026. (PHOTO / AP)

KYIV/MOSCOW/ST. PETERSBURG - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine is prepared to observe an energy ceasefire with Russia that began overnight on Friday, the Ukrinform news agency reported.

"Ukraine is ready to mirror the restraint from strikes, and today we did not attack Russian energy facilities," Zelensky said in an evening address.

He added that the US had proposed a one-week pause in attacks on energy infrastructure.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to refrain from attacking the Ukrainian capital and other cities for a week due to the severe cold.

ALSO READ: Severe cold: Zelensky expects halt to attacks on Ukrainian cities

Earlier on Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia had agreed to suspend strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities until Feb 1 following Trump's request, according to RBC-Ukraine news outlet.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of the Russian president with the Palestinian president at the Kremlin in Moscow on Jan 22, 2026. (PHOTO / AFP)

Putin-Zelensky meeting in Moscow

Meanwhile, Peskov said meeting with Zelensky in Moscow only is Putin's response to a meeting proposal from Kyiv.

Putin has not made any initiative to invite Zelensky nor proposed any meeting with him, Peskov also noted.

"It was Zelensky who requested the meeting, and it is he who has, in fact, initiated it. In response to this, President Putin told him that yes, we are ready for a meeting, but only in Moscow. This is a crucial point that must be remembered," Peskov said in reply to a question regarding how the Kremlin had responded to Zelensky's inviting Putin to Kyiv.

Earlier in the day, Zelensky voiced his readiness to meet with Putin in Kyiv, inviting the Russian leader to the Ukrainian capital.

Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov previously said that Putin had repeatedly said Zelensky could travel to Moscow if he were ready for dialogue. Ushakov emphasized that Russia has never ruled out a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, but such a meeting must be carefully and thoroughly prepared.

Assassination plot foiled

Separately, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has thwarted an attempted assassination on a Russian officer in St. Peterburg.

As quoted by TASS, the FSB said the attack was being prepared by a supporter of a Ukrainian terrorist organization banned in Russia. The suspect was detained during operational search activities before the plot could be carried out.

FSB officers seized a Makarov pistol loaded with ammunition and a silencer from the suspect. Investigators found that the man had established contact with a recruiter via the Telegram messaging app and had expressed his willingness to carry out a terrorist attack.

The detainee has given a full confession, investigators said. According to his testimony, he planned to kill a Russian serviceman on instructions from a Ukrainian handler.

In this handout photograph taken on Jan 21, 2026 and released on Jan 22, 2026 by the press service of the 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Ukrainian soldiers fire a MRLS BM-21 'Grad' towards Russian positions at an undisclosed location near Druzhkivka, Donetsk region. (PHOTO / AFP)

'Not to compromise on territorial integrity'

On Friday, Zelensky said no agreement has been reached on the Donetsk region during the recent peace talks, reaffirming that Ukraine is not prepared to cede its territory to Russia.

"We are ready for compromises that lead to a real end to the war, but which are definitely not related to changing the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Zelensky was quoted as saying by the Ukrinform news agency.

READ MORE: Kremlin says US-Russia-Ukraine talks to continue next week

The US has proposed a compromise solution involving the establishment of a free economic zone in the Donbas, Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine proposes that control over this area should be distributed along the frontline.

He emphasized that all territorial issues must be resolved at the level of the countries' leaders.