Newsman: Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed to limited Ukraine ceasefire after a call with President Donald Trump.
Trump said on social media the talk ended “with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible War between Russia and Ukraine. …
“That process is now in full force and effect, and we will, hopefully, for the sake of Humanity, get the job done!”
Russian leader Vladimir Putin ended with a limited agreement for Russia and Ukraine to cease attacks on energy infrastructure but stopped short of a U.S. proposal for a temporary truce.
The United States said Russia had agreed to an energy and infrastructure ceasefire. After Moscow and Kyiv agree to stop hitting each other’s power plants and electric grids, negotiators would move on to a potential halt in fighting on the Black Sea − and then to a full ceasefire and peace agreement in the 3-year-old Ukraine war, a White House statement said.
The White House said that discussions would begin immediately in the Middle East.
Trump’s team has been meeting representatives from Moscow and Kyiv separately to nail down a ceasefire and a framework for a deal to end the war. Trump promised a rapid end to the conflict during the 2024 campaign, but he has has been unable to bring about a resolution so far.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow last week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Saturday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The interactions followed in-person talks with top Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia and set the stage for Tuesday’s call between Putin and Trump.
Readout from the White House provided scant details on what was discussed. A Kremlin statement said Trump proposed a 30-day halt on energy infrastructure attacks and Putin immediately gave his military the order. Russia also said a prisoner exchange would happen Wednesday with each side releasing 175 people. An additional 23 severely injured Ukrainian troops would also be transferred, the Kremlin said.
Trump also backed a Putin proposal for U.S.-Russia hockey matches, according to the Kremlin. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Monday, the president said he intended to lay the groundwork for a peace deal and implore Putin to spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers under siege from Russian forces.
“We had to get Ukraine to do the right thing. It was not an easy situation,” Trump said. “But I think they’re doing the right thing right now. And we’re trying to get a peace agreement done.”
Last week the United States restored intelligence sharing with Ukraine and lifted a pause on military assistance, as officials awaited Russia’s response to the temporary truce.
Ukraine agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire on the condition that Russia also accepted the terms of the agreement. That proposal called for a temporary freeze to the conflict and a halt to an intense aerial battle between the two nations.
Disputed territory could be monitored during that time with satellites, intelligence and drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously pushed for a truce to bar the use of missiles, long-range drones and attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure. He also offered to halt attacks on Russian ships.
Zelenskyy’s government has also pushed for Russia to agree to a prisoner exchange, the release of detained civilians and the return of kidnapped Ukrainian children.
U.S. officials have said since the talks began that Ukraine would have to make concessions. They range from territory seized by Russia to its dream of NATO membership and include a battle for control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Russia has said that NATO membership, which it has used as a pretext for its war, is a nonstarter. It has also rejected a UK-led proposal to put European peacekeepers in Ukraine.
Ukraine has said it will not sign a peace agreement without firm security guarantees, citing Russia’s history of violating ceasefires.
Trump indicated over the weekend that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine has been the topic of early discussion. The plant is under Russian occupation.
“We’ll be talking about land. We’ll be talking about power plants because that’s a big question, but I think we have a lot of it already discussed very much by both sides,” Trump told reporters Sunday.
