President Trump spoke for practically three hours on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, amid the U.S. push to safe Moscow’s settlement to a ceasefire in its conflict towards Ukraine.
Whereas the White Home gave no indication in a readout of the assembly that there was a tangible settlement on a long-term ceasefire, there seemed to be consensus that any pause in preventing would start with a halt in assaults on vitality infrastructure.
Trump and Putin additionally mentioned potential ceasefire agreements on issues of vitality, infrastructure and maritime.
“The leaders agreed that 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,” the White Home mentioned in a readout. “These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East.”
Trump has beforehand mentioned he plans to go to Saudi Arabia to fulfill with Putin to additional talk about the ceasefire, however the exact timing of that assembly is but to be decided by the White Home.
Russian state media reported that Trump proposed a 30-day pause on assaults on vitality infrastructure, and that Putin “responded positively.”
Trump and Putin additionally notably spoke “broadly about the Middle East as a region of potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts,” the White Home mentioned. They usually mentioned efforts to cease the unfold of “strategic weapons.” Trump has beforehand spoken a couple of need to finish nuclear proliferation.
The White Home readout of the decision made no point out about territorial concessions, which had been a key level of competition forward of peace talks. Ukraine’s backers have argued Kyiv shouldn’t must relinquish its territory to Russia.
Tuesday’s name got here because the White Home has intensified its efforts to cease the preventing in Ukraine. Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022 after amassing troops close to the border. Russia in 2014 annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
Putin had held again endorsing the U.S.-led ceasefire following conferences in Moscow late final week with Trump’s particular envoy for Center East affairs, Steve Witkoff.
Ukraine accepted the phrases of the ceasefire throughout high-stakes talks with Trump administration officers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 11.
Up to date 1:44 p.m.
