Ukraine is racing to reinforce its air defenses as a brief pause in Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities approaches its expiration, and military and diplomatic experts warn the move may do little to change conditions on the battlefield and could ultimately strengthen Moscow’s negotiating position.

Earlier Friday, President Donald Trump said at the White House, “I think we’re getting very close to getting a settlement,” expressing optimism about the upcoming Russia-Ukraine talks. “Zelenskyy and Putin hate each other, and it makes it very difficult, but I think we have a good chance of getting it settled.”

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin agreed to a personal request from Trump to halt airstrikes on Kyiv until Feb. 1 to create what it described as favorable conditions for negotiations. Ukrainian officials stressed there is no formal ceasefire.

TRUMP SAYS PUTIN AGREED TO HALT KYIV STRIKES FOR ONE WEEK AMID BRUTAL COLD

As temperatures in Kyiv are expected to plunge to minus-26 degrees Celsius beginning Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is moving to strengthen short-range air defenses against drones to protect frontline cities in the south and northeast.

“Protection against Russian drones must be reinforced in our cities, such as Kherson and Nikopol, as well as in the border communities of the Sumy region, where the Russians have essentially set up an ongoing ‘safari’ against civilians,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Despite the pause, Russian lawmakers and regional leaders have publicly urged escalation. Russian parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said deputies are calling for the use of more powerful “weapons of retribution,” while Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said he opposed negotiations altogether.

Against that backdrop, experts told Fox News Digital the pause appears far more symbolic than transformative.

Vice Adm. Robert S. Harward, a retired Navy SEAL and deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said the halt in strikes reflects political signaling rather than a military shift.

PUTIN CALLS TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN A ‘STARTING POINT’ AS HE WARNS UKRAINE TO PULL BACK OR FACE ‘FORCE’

“It’s symbolic in the sense of the dialogue and where we are in the negotiations,” Harward told Fox News Digital. “President Trump wants to illustrate to the U.S. that his relationship with Putin delivers results. This is a validation of that relationship, which could be an indicator of where the overall negotiations are on ending the war.”

Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and a former senior State Department and U.S. Mission to the United Nations official, said Russia’s agreement should not be misread as a move toward peace.

“While I am certain that Ukrainian civilians welcome any brief pause, they also aren’t holding their breath because Putin’s war machine will not stop until his calculus is changed on the risks of continuing his war,” Filipetti said.

TRUMP TOUTS ‘TREMENDOUS PROGRESS’ BUT SAYS HE’LL MEET PUTIN AND ZELENSKYY ‘ONLY WHEN’ PEACE DEAL IS FINAL

She added that the short duration of the pause leaves Ukraine exposed.

“Given how short the pause is and the duplicity of Russia saying it agreed to a week-long pause that expires in two days, this does not meaningfully change any conditions on the battlefield,” she said.

Harward said Ukraine could face diplomatic consequences once the pause expires.

“The risk to Ukraine is that this further weakens and isolates their role and position in the negotiations,” he said.

Zelenskyy has also warned that Ukraine’s ability to defend civilians has been strained by delays in Western funding. He said European allies delayed payments under the PURL weapons purchase program, leaving Ukraine without Patriot air defense missiles ahead of recent Russian strikes that knocked out power across parts of Kyiv.

“This is a critical issue for protecting civilians and Ukrainian cities and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the brutally cold winter months,” Filipetti said. “As President Zelenskyy has said, there will be no electricity and therefore no heat for civilians if they don’t have enough Patriot missiles to defend against Russia’s ballistic missiles.”

Harward noted that the problem extends beyond Ukraine. 

“Air Defense has been in high demand globally, considering the threats from Russia and China,” he said. “Resources, expenses and the increased time to deliver and implement the capabilities add to the challenge.”

On whether the pause could open the door to broader de-escalation, both experts expressed caution.

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“This tactical pause only serves to reinforce Russia’s negotiating position,” Harward said. “Putin is showing the world that he is willing to listen and respond. In return, he’ll want more support of his position and demands.”

“Only time will tell,” Filipetti said. “Diplomacy can always appear fruitless until there is a real deal. If this short pause, delivered by President Trump’s continued engagement and pressure on Putin, can be used to build additional progress in the trilateral talks, that would be a very positive outcome.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

Paris‑based sales company Charades (“Urchin”) has boarded “Bloodsuckers,” a family thriller that marks the sophomore feature of Elin Grönblom (“Ella and Friends”).

Currently in post-production, the film is being showcased today at Göteborg Film Festival’s Works in Progress and will be officially launched by Charades at the EFM where a promo reel will be presented to buyers.

“Bloodsuckers” is produced by Mylla Films, an ambitious genre film and TV label launched by Patrik Andersson, whose credits include Ari Aster’s “Midsommar” and Jakob Abrahamsson, who previously worked at NonStop Entertainment.

The story follows Johanna (38), who heads off on a well-deserved vacation with her family. “A visit to the deep Scandinavian forest leaves her drawn to a mesmerizing dark bog, where relentless mosquitoes seem to awaken something within her. As their bites take hold, her self-preserving instincts emerge, transforming her into a mother driven to extremes to finally find some peace and quiet,” reads the synopsis.

Grönblom is a promising Scandinavian filmmaker who graduated with a MFA in Filmmaking from The New York Film Academy and made her debut feature, “Ella and Friends,” after having directed several acclaimed short films, including “My Dad’s an Alien!” and “Goldfish Love.”

Andersson and Abrahamsson, who are producing via their four-year old vehicle Mylla Films, said, “We are thrilled to be in the hands of Charades and to see the film launched onto the international market with the strongest possible partner for a feature like this, their love for bold, director-driven cinema makes it the perfect home for the film.”

“‘Bloodsuckers’ stands out through its singular blend of psychological thriller, dark humour and an unsettling portrait of family life, exquisitely crafted and executed by Elin Grönblom and Johanna Sonck it’s coming along both deeply Scandinavian and strikingly universal. It’s a film that will hit close to home – wherever home is – and we’re thrilled to be presenting it to the international market at EFM”

Charades’ co-founder Carole Baraton said, “We wanted to be a part of as soon as we heard its pitch, the film blends everything we love in Scandi cinema — (very) dark-humour, sharp social critique and close character study — and refreshingly takes on the sacro-saint institution of the family.” “We can not wait to bring Elin’s radical yet playful voice to audiences,” Baraton added.

Mylla films’ development pipeline includes Michael Marcimain’s “Devastation (“Förhärjelsen”), and Måns Mårlind’s “Before They Were Gods” with Nick Cave and Joakim Thåström.

The project is backed by Film i Väst, Sveriges Television, Good Hand Production and Nonstop Winning Formula, with the support from the Swedish Film Institute (commissioner Hanna Sohlberg), Finnish Film Foundation, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Svenska Kulturfonden and Amos Andersons Fond; in association with YLE, Cinemanse, Nonstop Entertainment, MAEQ Studios and Peter Harrysson Media Invest. “Bloodsuckers” was produced as part of an initiative from the Swedish Film Institute and Sveriges Television called Moving Sweden.

President Donald Trump on Thursday declared a national emergency via an executive order over Cuba, accusing the communist regime of aligning with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups while moving to punish countries that supply the island nation with oil.

Thursday’s executive order states that the policies and actions of the Cuban government constitute “an unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”

To address that threat, Trump ordered the creation of a tariff mechanism that allows the U.S. to impose additional duties on imports from foreign countries that “directly or indirectly sell or otherwise provide any oil to Cuba,” according to the order.

The White House said the move marks a significant escalation in U.S. pressure on the Cuban government, aimed at protecting American national security and foreign policy interests.

MADURO’S CAPTURE IS ‘BEGINNING OF THE END’ FOR CUBA’S REGIME, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE CHAIR SAYS

In the order, Trump said Cuba aligns itself with and provides support for “numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors adverse to the United States,” naming Russia, China, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.

The administration said Cuba hosts Russia’s largest overseas signals intelligence facility, which the order states attempts to steal sensitive U.S. national security information. The order also says Cuba continues to deepen intelligence and defense cooperation with China.

According to the order, Cuba “welcomes transnational terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah and Hamas.”

Trump also cited the Cuban government’s human rights record, accusing the regime of persecuting and torturing political opponents, denying free speech and press freedoms, and retaliating against families of political prisoners who protest peacefully.

“The United States has zero tolerance for the depredations of the communist Cuban regime,” Trump said in the order, adding that the administration will act to hold the regime accountable while supporting the Cuban people’s aspirations for a free and democratic society.

CUBA’S SHADOW IN VENEZUELA: HAVANA’S INTELLIGENCE AND MILITARY TIES EXPOSED AFTER MADURO RAID

Under the order, the Commerce Department will determine whether a foreign country is supplying oil to Cuba, either directly or through intermediaries. The State Department, working with Treasury, Homeland Security, Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative, will decide whether and how steep the new tariffs should be if so.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is tasked with monitoring the national emergency and reporting to Congress, while the Commerce Department will continue tracking which countries are supplying oil to Cuba.

In a fact sheet, the White House said the order is designed to protect U.S. national security and foreign policy from the Cuban regime’s “malign actions and policies,” and described the move as part of Trump’s broader effort to confront regimes that threaten American interests.

The administration said the action builds on Trump’s first-term Cuba policy, which reversed Obama-era engagement and reinstated tougher measures against the communist government.

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The executive order is set to take effect Friday.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.