U.S President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, have agreed to a temporary halt in strikes against energy facilities in the Ukraine conflict.
The White House hailed it as the first stage in a “movement to peace” that it hopes would include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and, finally, a complete and permanent halt to the conflict.
However, there was no evidence that Putin had backed down from his criteria for a potential peace accord, which Kyiv strongly opposes.
Shortly after the call ended, Kyiv’s air raid sirens went off, followed by explosions.
Putin during the call reiterated his demand for an end to foreign military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.
Russia also wants Ukraine to pull back its troops from the four regions that Moscow has annexed but never fully captured, renounce any prospect of joining the NATO military alliance and sharply cut its army.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that Ukraine is open to any proposals that lead to a sustainable and just peace, but stressed the need for full transparency in discussions.
Zelenskyy said he was seeking more details on what Putin and Trump agreed on, but rejected Putin’s demand for halting military aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine, warning that such a move would weaken Ukraine.
“We need to understand what the conversation is about,” Zelenskyy said. “What are the details? And hopefully, we will be fully informed, and our partners will discuss everything with us.”
He added: “There are two sides in this war — Russia and Ukraine. Trying to negotiate without Ukraine, in my view, will not be productive.”
Ukrainian officials earlier this month proposed a ceasefire covering the Black Sea and long-range missile strikes and the release of prisoners.
Trump immediately cheered Tuesday’s development as a major step toward his ultimate goal of ending the biggest land war in Europe since World War II.
Putin also told Trump that Russia and Ukraine are set to exchange 175 prisoners of war each on Wednesday, and Russia will also hand over to Ukraine 23 badly wounded soldiers, the Kremlin said.
The limited pause comes as Trump still hopes to get Russia to sign off on his 30-day ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials last week agreed to the 30-day ceasefire proposal during talks in Saudi Arabia led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Zelenskyy, however, remains sceptical that Putin is ready for peace as Russian forces continue to pound Ukraine.
The Trump-Putin engagement is just the latest turn in dramatically shifting U.S.-Russia relations as Trump made quickly ending the conflict a top priority — even at the expense of straining ties with longtime American allies who want Putin to pay a price for the invasion.
The plant is a significant asset, producing nearly a quarter of Ukraine’s electricity in the year before the war.
After a disastrous Feb. 28 White House meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump temporarily cut off some military intelligence-sharing and aid to Ukraine.
It was restored after the Ukrainians last week signed off on the Trump administration’s 30-day ceasefire proposal.
In his dealings with Zelenskyy and Putin, Trump has frequently focused on who has the leverage. Putin has “the cards” and Zelenskyy does not, Trump has said repeatedly.
Trump, who has long shown admiration for Putin, has also made clear he’d like to see the U.S.-Russia relationship return to a more normal footing.
Ukraine’s army stunned Russia in August last year by attacking across the border and taking control of an estimated 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of land. But Ukraine’s forces are now in retreat and it has all but lost a valuable bargaining chip, as momentum builds for a ceasefire with Russia.
The White House said Trump and Putin also discussed the situation in the Middle East and agreed “Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel.”
US officials have previously stated that Iran has provided Russia with short-range ballistic missiles and attack drones for the Ukraine conflict.
The United States has also claimed that Iran has helped Russia develop a drone manufacturing complex.
According to the Kremlin, Trump also expressed support for Putin’s proposal to organize hockey matches between Russian and American players from the National Hockey League, which has teams in the United States and Canada, and the Kontinental Hockey League, which has teams in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and China.
