President Trump spoke for almost three hours with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday amid the U.S. push to safe Moscow’s settlement to a ceasefire in its battle towards Ukraine.
Whereas the White Home gave no indication in a readout of the assembly that there was a tangible settlement on a long-term ceasefire, there seemed to be consensus that any pause in preventing would start with a halt in assaults on vitality infrastructure.
Trump and Putin additionally mentioned potential ceasefire agreements on issues of vitality, infrastructure and maritime.
“The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace,” the White Home mentioned in a readout. “These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East.”
Trump has beforehand mentioned he plans to go to Saudi Arabia to fulfill with Putin to additional talk about the ceasefire, however the exact timing of that assembly is but to be decided by the White Home.
Russian state media reported that Trump proposed a 30-day pause on assaults on vitality infrastructure, and that Putin “responded positively.”
Putin instantly gave the Russian army the corresponding command, the Kremlin mentioned in a readout of the decision, and dedicated to talks about halting preventing within the Black Sea.
However amongst Putin’s calls for within the name included “the need to stop” Ukraine from mobilizing troops and rearming its military. The Russian chief laid out calls for that working towards a decision of the battle ought to embrace “complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv.”
Putin informed Trump {that a} prisoner change with Ukraine can be carried out Wednesday, with the switch of 175 individuals on all sides. The Kremlin mentioned Russia will switch 23 critically wounded Ukrainian troopers being handled in Russian hospitals.
Trump and Putin additionally notably spoke “broadly about the Middle East as a region of potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts,” the White Home mentioned. And so they mentioned efforts to cease the unfold of “strategic weapons”; Trump has beforehand spoken a few want to finish nuclear proliferation.
The White Home readout of the decision made no point out about territorial concessions, which had been a key level of rivalry forward of peace talks. Ukraine’s backers have argued Kyiv mustn’t should relinquish its territory to Russia.
Tuesday’s name got here because the White Home has intensified its efforts to cease the preventing in Ukraine. Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022 after amassing troops close to the border. Russia in 2014 annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
Putin had held again endorsing the U.S.-led ceasefire following conferences in Moscow late final week with Trump’s particular envoy for Center East affairs, Steve Witkoff.
Ukraine accepted the phrases of the ceasefire throughout high-stakes talks with Trump administration officers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 11.
Up to date at 2:20 p.m. EDT
