U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed to an immediate pause in strikes against energy infrastructure in Ukraine during their 90-minute phone call, keeping negotiations open for a broader deal to end the conflict.
A White House readout described it as the first step in a "movement to peace" that it hopes will include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and eventually a full and lasting end to the fighting.
That agreement came "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," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post after his call with Putin.
According to the Kremlin, Putin agreed to pause strikes on Ukraine's energy targets for 30 days and that Putin had already given the order to his military.
"Key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict" is stated during the two leaders' talk, said the Kremlin readout, demanding a halt on all foreign military aid to Ukraine and suspension of Western intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
"The two leaders agreed that a future with an improved bilateral relationship between the United States and Russia has huge upside," the White House said. "This includes enormous economic deals and geopolitical stability when peace has been achieved."
Zelenskyy skeptical, wants a 'just' peace
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters via Zoom Tuesday evening, called the phone call "a step towards peace, and not towards further complication of military combat situations."
Zelenskyy said he was seeking more details on what Putin and Trump agreed on, adding that Ukraine is open to any proposals that lead to a sustainable and just peace. However, he rejected Putin's demand for halting military aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine, warning that such a move would weaken Ukraine.
"What are the details? And hopefully, we will be fully informed, and our partners will discuss everything with us," Zelenskyy said. "Trying to negotiate without Ukraine, in my view, will not be productive."
Putin also told Trump that Russia and Ukraine are set to exchange 175 prisoners of war each on Wednesday, the Kremlin said.
The Trump-Putin engagement marks the latest turn in dramatically shifting U.S.-Russia relations as Trump made quickly ending the conflict a top priority.
Ukrainian officials last week agreed to the 30-day ceasefire proposal during talks in Saudi Arabia led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. White House special envoy Steve Witkoff then met with Putin in Moscow to discuss the proposal.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko on Monday said the Kremlin would seek "ironclad security guarantees" in any potential future peace deal, stating one of these conditions should be Ukraine's neutral status and the refusal of NATO countries to accept Kyiv into the organization.
(With input from agencies)
(Cover: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. /CFP)