RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin agreed on Tuesday to temporarily stop attacking Ukrainian energy facilities but declined to endorse a full 30-day ceasefire that President Donald Trump hoped would be the first step toward a permanent peace deal.
Ukraine said it would support the scaled-back agreement, which would require both countries to hold off on firing on each other's energy infrastructure for 30 days. Experts said Putin avoided making significant concessions in what could be a play for time as Russian troops advance in eastern Ukraine.
Reuters reported today, talks aimed at advancing toward a broader peace plan will begin immediately, the White House said following a lengthy call between the two leaders, but it was unclear whether Ukraine will be involved.
Putin ordered the Russian military to stop attacks against energy sites after speaking with Trump, the Kremlin said in a statement. But he again raised concerns during the call that a temporary ceasefire might allow Ukraine to mobilize more soldiers and rearm itself.
Putin also emphasized that any resolution of the conflict would require an end to all military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, the Kremlin added.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country would support the U.S. proposal to stop strikes on energy facilities and infrastructure.
"I think it will be right that we will have a conversation with President Trump and we will know in detail what the Russians offered the Americans or what the Americans offered the Russians," Zelenskiy told reporters during an online briefing.
Russian forces are advancing in Ukraine's east and pushing back Ukrainian troops from Russia's Kursk region.
Negotiations on a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, as well as a more complete ceasefire and a permanent peace deal, will commence immediately in the Middle East, the White House said in a statement.
Kristine Berzina, managing director of the German Marshall Fund think tank, called the limited ceasefire "a very small step forward," noting the United States did not secure the deal it wanted. – March 19, 2025
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