The Russian president has supported Donald Trump’s proposal to halt strikes on energy infrastructure for 30 days, according to the statement
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, held a phone call on Tuesday to discuss efforts toward establishing a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict, the Kremlin has confirmed. The conversation marks the second time the two leaders have had direct talks since Trump returned to office in January.
The Kremlin reported that Putin supported Trump’s proposal for Russia and Ukraine to mutually halt strikes on energy infrastructure for 30 days. He has instructed the military to implement this directive. “The Russian President also responded constructively to Donald Trump’s idea of implementing a previously-discussed initiative concerning the safety of navigation in the Black Sea”, the statement said, adding that the leaders agreed to begin negotiations on the matter.
The phone call comes after the US unveiled a 30-day ceasefire initiative last week following a meeting with Ukrainian representatives in Saudi Arabia. Putin has since stated that he is open to the idea of a truce but has demanded that certain key issues be addressed beforehand. These include the fate of Ukrainian troops encircled in Russia’s Kursk Region as well as guarantees that Kiev would not use the truce to rearm and refill its ranks.
Previously, Trump said he expected the phone call with Putin to make significant progress in establishing a ceasefire, stating that they would discuss a number of topics, including “land” and “power plants.”
Putin and Trump’s call on February 12 marked the first time that the leaders of Russia and the US had spoken in years. It was followed by high-level talks in Saudi Arabia on February 18, where Washington and Moscow agreed to assign teams to work on resolving the Ukraine conflict, restore embassy operations, and address other points of contention in bilateral relations. Since then, additional discussions have been held in Istanbul, focusing on diplomatic funding and a proposal from Moscow to reinstate direct flights.
