This combination of pictures created on March 18, 2025 shows US President Donald Trump (L) on the phone in Washington, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin on the phone in Moscow. (Photo by AFP)US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, have reached an agreement on a limited halt to Russian strikes on energy and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, according to US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff said on Tuesday that the limited ceasefire agreement came after the two leaders discussed the ongoing war in a phone call that lasted more than two hours earlier in the day.
He went on to say that Putin agreed to Trump’s proposal to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days and backed a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea.
“Up until recently, we really didn’t have consensus around these two aspects – the energy and infrastructure ceasefire and the Black Sea moratorium on firing – and today we got to that place, and I think it’s a relatively short distance to a full ceasefire from there,” Witkoff said.
“I’m certainly hopeful that the Ukrainians will agree to it. We have some details to work out, of course,” he added.
Witkoff commended Putin “for all he did today on that call to move his country close to a final peace deal.”
He further noted that diplomatic talks between the US and Russia will continue in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 23.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has already agreed to the US-proposed ceasefire in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II.
On Tuesday, Trump and Putin held a lengthy talk on how to reach a ceasefire deal for Ukraine.
Washington hoped its proposal would convince Moscow to accept a 30-day ceasefire agreement and then move towards a permanent peace deal.
However, Putin agreed only to halt attacks on energy infrastructure and rejected an immediate and full ceasefire in Ukraine.
According to the Kremlin, Putin outlined the need to establish a mechanism to properly monitor a potential ceasefire.
Putin also indicated to Trump that “the key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict and working towards its resolution through political and diplomatic means should be the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kiev,” according to the Kremlin.
Putin also told Trump that Russia and Ukraine are set to exchange 175 prisoners of war each on Wednesday, adding that Moscow will also hand over to Kiev 23 critically wounded soldiers, the Kremlin reported.
This combination of pictures created on March 18, 2025 shows US President Donald Trump (L) on the phone in Washington, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin on the phone in Moscow. (Photo by AFP)
US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, have reached an agreement on a limited halt to Russian strikes on energy and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, according to US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff said on Tuesday that the limited ceasefire agreement came after the two leaders discussed the ongoing war in a phone call that lasted more than two hours earlier in the day.
He went on to say that Putin agreed to Trump’s proposal to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days and backed a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea.
“Up until recently, we really didn’t have consensus around these two aspects – the energy and infrastructure ceasefire and the Black Sea moratorium on firing – and today we got to that place, and I think it’s a relatively short distance to a full ceasefire from there,” Witkoff said.
“I’m certainly hopeful that the Ukrainians will agree to it. We have some details to work out, of course,” he added.
Witkoff commended Putin “for all he did today on that call to move his country close to a final peace deal.”
He further noted that diplomatic talks between the US and Russia will continue in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 23.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has already agreed to the US-proposed ceasefire in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II.
On Tuesday, Trump and Putin held a lengthy talk on how to reach a ceasefire deal for Ukraine.
Washington hoped its proposal would convince Moscow to accept a 30-day ceasefire agreement and then move towards a permanent peace deal.
However, Putin agreed only to halt attacks on energy infrastructure and rejected an immediate and full ceasefire in Ukraine.
According to the Kremlin, Putin outlined the need to establish a mechanism to properly monitor a potential ceasefire.
Putin also indicated to Trump that “the key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict and working towards its resolution through political and diplomatic means should be the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kiev,” according to the Kremlin.
Putin also told Trump that Russia and Ukraine are set to exchange 175 prisoners of war each on Wednesday, adding that Moscow will also hand over to Kiev 23 critically wounded soldiers, the Kremlin reported.
