Vladimir Putin agreed to a limited ceasefire to stop Russia, which targets Ukrainian energy infrastructure, after a high-stakes call with Donald Trump.
However, Russian leaders have refused to commit to a 30-day full ceasefire sold by Trump, which Ukraine agreed to last week, halted hopes of bringing hostility to the US president. The Kremlin said that before Putin implemented such a plan, the West requested that all military aid be suspended to Kiev.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke after the call and said Ukraine was favorable for the idea of halting attacks on each other's infrastructure, but he waited for “details” of what was initially agreed.
Trump put an active spin on the debate, writing on his true social platform shortly after Cole called on Putin to have a “very good, productive” conversation.
“We agreed to an immediate ceasefire of all energy and infrastructure, and understood that we would be working on a full ceasefire quickly, and ultimately ending this very horrifying war between Russia and Ukraine,” he added.
Putin said he has issued an order to Russian troops to halt strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, according to a Kremlin statement. However, within hours of the call ending, an alert for air raids in Kiev sounded and a new explosion soon followed as Ukrainian air defense targeted Russian drones around the capital.
Hours later, Zelenskyy said in a Telegram statement that Russia had launched more than 40 drones against private infrastructure, including hits at Sumy city hospitals.
“In many regions, you can hear exactly what Russia wants,” writes Zelenskyy.
During a briefing with the journalists, Zelenskyy said he was waiting for more information from Washington.
“I think it's right to have a conversation with President Trump and we'll know in detail what the Russians provided to the Americans and what the Americans provided to the Russians,” he said.
“After we receive details from the US president from the US side, we will give the answers and prepare. The team is ready for technical discussion.”
If they support both sides, a halt of attacks on energy infrastructure would mark the first partial ceasefire in more than three years since Russia launched its full-scale Ukrainian invasion in February 2022.
Russia has been relentlessly targeting Ukrainian infrastructure for the past three years, but in recent months, Ukraine has been able to target with long-range drones deep within Russia.
In his first release since Cole, Trump told Fox News interviewer Laura Ingraham:
Asked by Ingraham about Russian media coverage, President Putin requested an immediate halt of aid to Ukraine to reach the deal, the president insisted:
In an interview, Trump described himself as a “nationalist” with “very good” ties with President Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“Many elements of the peace deal have been discussed, killing thousands of soldiers, and both Putin and Zelensky want to end it,” Trump said in a previous statement.
According to a statement from the White House, Washington and Moscow also agreed to launch negotiations on “an implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, a complete ceasefire, and a permanent peace implementation.” He said these negotiations will begin “quickly” in the Middle East.
Putin reiterated his concern over various issues that must be addressed before implementing a wider ceasefire, according to a Kremlin statement in his two and a half hours of calls with Trump.
The “particularly important issues” includes how such a ceasefire will be implemented and whether it will give Ukraine the opportunity to strengthen its forces and receive Western military aid, it said.
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An explanation of the Kremlin's call said Putin had set several maximum conditions for a permanent ceasefire, including the suspension of arms in the West of Ukraine and the assistance of the Intelligence Report. Putin also called for Ukraine to stop mobilizing new employees.
“It was emphasized that the key conditions for preventing conflict escalation and working towards its resolution through political and diplomatic means must be a complete suspension of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence news to Kyiv,” the Kremlin said.
There was no indication that Putin had abandoned any of his most hardest purposes in the war in Ukraine. He told Trump that peace talks “have to take into account the unconditional need to remove the crisis and the original reason for Russia's legal security interests.”
In a recent statement, Putin outlined these requests. This includes commitment to keeping Kyiv out of NATO, Ukraine's unarmedness and full control of the four regions of Moscow annexed in 2022.
Some of Trump's recent remarks raised concerns that the US could prioritize securing transactions over protecting Kiev's interests. Before the call, he posted about the true social “many elements of the final contract have been agreed upon, but many ruins.”
As the UK and the EU are stepping up efforts to deliver fresh military aid packages to Kiev as soon as possible, Europe will be worried about halting the delivery of all weapons to Ukraine.
At a press conference in Berlin, French presidents Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz and Olaf Scholz called Russia's attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure a “good start,” but emphasized that “without Ukraine there is no agreement.”
“The next step must be a complete ceasefire in Ukraine and a ceasefire as soon as possible,” he said.
According to a spokesman, Downing Street welcomed “President Trump's journey towards a ceasefire” in a call with Putin, but said negotiations must lead to “fair and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
Before the call, Trump said that Russian and American negotiators were already talking about “splitting certain assets.”
US outlet Semer reported on Monday that the White House officially recognized Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, as Russia's territory as part of a potential peace deal. Washington also said it is reportedly debating the possibility of pressure on the UN to follow the lawsuit.
In Moscow, Russian officials have shown they are happy with Putin's conversation with Trump.
“It's official now – the perfect phone,” wrote Kiril Dmitriev, a senior aide close to Putin, in X.
