Reports of Russian bombs falling on Ukraine hours after Trump and Putin reach deal

Washington: Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to halt airstrikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure but rejected a broader ceasefire and may have already broken his promise following a lengthy and “frank” call with US President Donald Trump, the White House said.

The two leaders spoke by telephone for nearly two hours on Wednesday (AEDT), a much-anticipated conversation that came as Washington attempts to broker a quick ceasefire and peace deal without US military involvement in any security guarantee.

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for more than two hours.Credit: AP

Putin agreed to a 30-day cessation of strikes on energy infrastructure such as gas plants and power lines, but stopped well short of the total and unconditional ceasefire on land, air and sea sought by the United States and already agreed to by Ukraine.

A White House summary of the call said the leaders agreed the movement to peace “will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace”.

Negotiations would begin immediately in the Middle East, the White House said, and “both leaders agreed this conflict needs to end with a lasting peace”.

However, hours later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country was under attack by Russian drones, and the London Telegraph reported energy infrastructure in the city of Slovyansk had been bombed, citing local reports.

“There have been hits, specifically on civilian infrastructure … Only a real cessation of strikes on civilian infrastructure by Russia, as proof of its willingness to end this war, can bring peace closer,” Zelensky said.

“Today, Putin effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire. It would be right for the world to respond by rejecting any attempts by Putin to prolong the war.”

Zelensky told reporters he supported the 30-day ceasefire on energy facilities, and would try to speak with Trump to ascertain the details of what each side had offered during the phone call.

Russia has struck Ukrainian oil and gas facilities hard in recent weeks after Trump and Zelensky’s televised argument in the Oval Office and the US’s brief suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.

The Kremlin’s account of the phone call said Putin had outlined a number of risks regarding a full 30-day ceasefire. He emphasised a key condition “should be the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv”.

Putin also agreed to spare the lives of any Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region and extend them decent treatment in the event of their surrender, the readout said.

The two sides would each exchange 175 prisoners on March 19, Putin told Trump, and Russia would add another 23 injured Ukrainian soldiers being treated in Russian hospitals.

Trump told Fox News the call was “great” and lasted nearly two hours, but did not canvass the topic of aid for Ukraine. In a post on his Truth Social, he stressed there was “an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible War”.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin called it “a detailed and frank exchange of views” and said Putin was grateful for Trump’s genuine desire to end the conflict.

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson, a staunch Ukraine ally who has called on Trump to stay the course in defending the country, said Putin’s rejection of an unconditional ceasefire was not surprising because he still wanted to disarm Ukraine and turn it into a vassal state of Russia.

“He isn’t negotiating. He’s laughing at us,” Johnson said of Putin.

Analysts differed on the significance of the limited ceasefire agreed during the call. Seth Jones, the president of the defence and security department at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said the outcome was predictable and showed the Russians were not serious about a ceasefire or peace.

“It is not a step forward,” he told this masthead. “The Russians also continue to push for a neutered Ukraine militarily. The unfortunate aspect is the two sides are very far apart right now.”

But John Herbst, the senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Centre and a former US ambassador to Ukraine, said it was a good day for Trump “because this is the first time that Moscow has offered a concrete concession in response to his peace initiative”. However, he noted the reported strikes in Slovyansk may have already rendered the commitment moot.

Since Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – a major escalation of a conflict that began with Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 – the Russian leader has been frozen out of diplomatic relations in the western world.

But in the call, both leaders said they wanted to begin improving and normalising relations between the US and Russia, working together economically and co-operating strategically in the Middle East.

The White House readout referred to “enormous economic deals” that could come from US-Russia co-operation.

Trump and Putin “discussed the need to stop proliferation of strategic weapons and will engage with others to ensure the broadest possible application. The two leaders shared the view that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel”.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said the two countries shared a “special responsibility … for ensuring security and stability in the world”. In particular, it praised the Trump administration’s decision to side with Russia at a recent United Nations vote on the Ukraine conflict.

According to the Kremlin’s summary, Trump also supported Putin’s suggestion National Hockey League and Kontinental Hockey League players should compete against each other in matches held in the US and Russia.

with Reuters

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.