By Emel Akan and Ryan Morgan
Contributing Writer
WASHINGTON — Following a phone call with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to a limited cease-fire, in which Russia and Ukraine would stop targeting each other’s energy sectors for 30 days.
Trump and Putin started the conversation at 10 a.m. ET in the Oval Office, with Trump aiming to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
According to a Kremlin readout of the call, Trump proposed a deal whereby Russian and Ukrainian forces would mutually refrain from attacks on “energy infrastructure facilities.”
“Vladimir Putin responded positively to this initiative and immediately gave the Russian military the corresponding order,” the Kremlin added.
The agreement comes a week after Kyiv agreed to a different U.S.-backed 30-day cease-fire proposal, which would have covered all aspects of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine rather than just energy facilities.
As he reviewed the proposal for a more comprehensive temporary cease-fire, Putin questioned how the truce would be monitored. He also raised concerns about Ukraine using the reprieve as an opportunity to rearm and mobilize more troops for a resumption of hostilities.
“It was emphasized that the key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict and working towards its resolution by political and diplomatic means should be a complete cessation of foreign military assistance and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv,” the Kremlin said.
Even with the more limited cease-fire deal, there is a slight discrepancy between the Kremlin’s characterization of the deal and the White House’s. The Kremlin described the deal as one barring attacks on “energy infrastructure facilities,” while an initial White House readout indicated the truce covers “energy and infrastructure.”
In the readout of the call, the White House said it would proceed with talks to expand the truce to cover the Black Sea, and then on to an even broader cease-fire and permanent peace.
“These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East,” the White House said.
The Kremlin said Putin had also agreed to release 175 Ukrainians being held by Russia, in exchange for the return of 175 Russians being held by the Ukrainian side.
Prior to the call, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Kyiv is not an “obstacle” to a peace deal with Russia and expressed optimism that both sides could achieve peace under Trump’s leadership.
“Our approach: Now is a time for diplomacy, for a strong diplomacy,” Sybiha said on Tuesday during a geopolitical conference in India.
“We also really believe that with [the] leadership of President Trump, we could achieve long-lasting, just peace.”
The call follows a meeting in Moscow last week between Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin.
According to Witkoff, both the U.S. and Russian sides made “a lot of progress” during that meeting, which lasted more than three hours.
During an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Witkoff said, the significant gap between Ukraine and Russia that existed prior to Trump’s inauguration has been narrowed.
He noted that a cease-fire involves addressing various factors, such as preventing fighting along a 2,000-kilometer (1,200-mile) border and in areas like Kursk. He mentioned the need to consider Russia’s focus on specific regions, the protection of a nuclear reactor supplying electricity to Ukraine, access to ports, and potential agreements related to the Black Sea.
