U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed to a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war with a pause on attacks on energy and infrastructure and to begin negotiations for a full ceasefire and permanent peace starting immediately.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations and the situation in West Asia in a lengthy phone call that lasted nearly two hours.
However, as per recent reports, Putin rejected the proposal for a full, immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, agreeing only to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Putin declined to sign a comprehensive ceasefire agreement that had been previously negotiated by Trump’s team with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia. While Trump had hoped to initiate a month-long ceasefire as a stepping stone toward a lasting peace, Putin insisted that such a truce could only succeed if foreign military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine were halted—a condition that Ukraine’s European allies have strongly opposed.
The two leaders did agree to begin immediate negotiations for a broader peace, with talks set to continue in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this Sunday, according to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. This call marks a shift in the U.S. position, which had previously advocated for a 30-day ceasefire covering land, air, and sea. However, both sides seem to remain far apart on the terms for a lasting truce.
The White House referred to it as the initial phase of a “movement toward peace,” with hopes of expanding it into a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and eventually achieving a permanent resolution to the conflict.
However, there was no sign that Putin had softened his demands for a potential peace agreement, which are strongly rejected by Kyiv. Shortly after the call concluded, air raid alerts were triggered in Kyiv, followed by explosions in the city, with local authorities advising residents to take shelter.
