Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Donald Trump agreed yesterday to a limited 30-day ceasefire related to energy infrastructure targets in Ukraine, while negotiations on a broader peace agreement will begin "immediately", the White House said.
Putin ordered the Russian military to halt attacks on energy facilities, the Kremlin said in a statement after a phone call between the two leaders. However, the Russian president did not agree to a broader US initiative for a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine has already expressed readiness to implement.
The Russian president expressed concern that such a ceasefire could be used to mobilize and further arm Ukraine, the Kremlin said. Putin also stressed that any agreement to end the conflict would require the cessation of all military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine.
The Russian president has asked Trump to halt Western aid to Ukraine. “The Russian side has raised a number of key points regarding the effective control of a possible ceasefire along the entire line of contact, the need to end forced mobilization in Ukraine, and the rearmament of the Ukrainian armed forces,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
Trump described his conversation with Putin last night as “productive” and said that “many elements of a peace agreement were discussed, including the fact that thousands of soldiers have been killed, and that both President Putin and President Zelensky would like to see that end.” “The process is now in full swing and in effect, and we hope that, for the sake of humanity, we will successfully get the job done,” Trump said, adding, “We will work quickly to achieve a complete ceasefire.”
The White House statement said negotiations on a ceasefire in the Black Sea, as well as a more comprehensive cessation of hostilities and a lasting peace agreement, would begin immediately in the Middle East. However, the statement did not specify whether Ukraine would be invited to the talks, Reuters reported.
It is unclear whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will agree to halt his military's attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Since the Russian invasion began in 2022, Ukraine has fought its much larger neighbor by launching drone and missile strikes deep into Russian territory, including on energy facilities. The attacks, which Moscow calls terrorism, have allowed Kiev to maintain pressure on the Russian economy.
Although the White House yesterday welcomed the news of a limited ceasefire, the fact that Putin has not agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire could complicate efforts to accelerate negotiations on a complete end to the war, Politiko reports.
Trump also hinted that a lasting peace agreement could include territorial concessions to Ukraine and control of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
The Guardian writes that Europe is likely to be reluctant to accept the condition of a complete cessation of Western military aid as the UK and the European Union accelerate efforts to deliver new packages of military aid to Kiev as soon as possible. European leaders fear that such a deal could create a scenario in which Russia would rearm to attack Ukraine again after the ceasefire ends, while Ukraine would be left without the ability to adequately prepare for its defense, the British newspaper reports.
The talks between the two leaders come as Israel has continued its attacks on Hamas in Gaza, threatening a fragile ceasefire brokered in part by Trump's envoy earlier this year. It further highlights the difficulty of achieving lasting ceasefires in long-running conflicts.
The US president's rapprochement with Putin since his return to the White House in January has raised concerns among traditional US allies.
Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron said in Berlin last night that Ukraine can count on continued military aid. “We both agree that Ukraine can count on us, that Ukraine can count on Europe and that we will not let it down,” Scholz said.
"We continue to support the Ukrainian army in its war of resistance to Russian aggression," Macron said, adding that the announced ceasefire on Ukrainian energy infrastructure should be "verifiable."
Scholz called the ceasefire in attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure an important first step, but stressed that the next step must be a complete ceasefire.
Macron reiterated the need for Ukraine's involvement. "We have been advocating peace since day one, but it cannot be achieved without Ukraine's participation in the negotiations."
Ukraine and its Western allies have long described Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an imperialist territorial grab, while Zelensky has accused Putin of deliberately dragging out the war.
Zelensky, who arrived in Finland yesterday to discuss the NATO member's support for Ukraine, said that Ukraine's sovereignty is not up for negotiation and that Russia must withdraw from occupied territories. He also warned that Moscow would not stop at Ukraine if it was allowed to hold on to the conquered areas.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned yesterday that Russia has massively increased the capacity of its military industry, preparing for "a future conflict with European democracies."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with Trump late on Monday and stressed that everyone must work together to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position to achieve a just and lasting peace, his spokesman said.
Russia seized the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, and after an invasion in February 2022, it took over most of four eastern Ukrainian regions. In total, Russia now controls about a fifth of Ukraine's territory.
Putin said he sent troops to Ukraine because NATO's gradual expansion threatened Russia's security. He also demanded that Ukraine abandon its ambition to join the Western military alliance.
Putin also said that Russia must maintain control over the Ukrainian territory it has conquered, that Western sanctions should be eased, and that Kiev should hold presidential elections.
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