President Vladimir Putin has rejected an immediate and full ceasefire in Ukraine, agreeing only to halt attacks on energy infrastructure, following a call with US President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
The Russian leader declined to sign up to the comprehensive month-long ceasefire that Trump\u2019s team recently worked out with Ukrainians in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
He said a comprehensive truce could only work if foreign military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine came to an end. Ukraine\u2019s European allies have previously rejected such conditions.<\/p>\n
In the grinding three-year war, Russia has recently been taking back territory in its Kursk region that was occupied by a Ukrainian incursion six months ago.<\/p>\n
The results of Tuesday\u2019s Trump-Putin call amount to a retreat in the US position from where it stood a week ago, although the two leaders did agree that further peace talks would take place immediately in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
When a US delegation met Ukrainian counterparts in Jeddah last Tuesday, they convinced Kyiv to agree to their proposal for an \u201cimmediate\u201d 30-day ceasefire, across land, air and sea.<\/p>\n
President Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in Helsinki, Finland, for an official visit on Tuesday shortly after Trump and Putin\u2019s call ended, said Ukraine was open to the idea of a truce covering energy infrastructure, but wanted more details first.<\/p>\n
He later accused Putin of rejecting a ceasefire following a barrage of Russian drone attacks.<\/p>\n
Among the places targeted was a hospital in Sumy, and power supplies in Slovyansk, said Ukraine\u2019s leader.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, there have been hits, specifically on civilian infrastructure,\u201d Zelensky said on X. \u201cToday, Putin effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump posted earlier on social media that his call with the Russian leader was \u201cvery good and productive\u201d and that \u201cmany elements of a Contract for Peace were discussed\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe agreed to an immediate Ceasefire on all Energy and Infrastructure, with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible War between Russia and Ukraine,\u201d the US president said on Truth Social.<\/p>\n
About 80% of Ukraine\u2019s energy infrastructure has been destroyed by Russian bombs, Zelensky said last September.<\/p>\n
Kyiv has in turn conducted drone and missile strikes deep into Russian territory, on oil and gas facilities.<\/p>\n
Following last week\u2019s talks in Jeddah, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said \u201cthe ball\u201d was in Russia\u2019s court, after the Ukrainians accepted Washington\u2019s proposal for a full ceasefire.<\/p>\n
But the White House\u2019s statement following the Trump-Putin call on Tuesday made no reference to that agreement with Kyiv.<\/p>\n
It instead said the two leaders agreed that \u201cthe movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire\u201d, followed by negotiations over a \u201cmaritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace\u201d.<\/p>\n
But the Kremlin\u2019s own statement on the call noted what it said were a \u201cseries of significant issues\u201d around enforcing any agreement with Kyiv. And it said the end of foreign support and intelligence for Ukraine was a \u201ckey condition\u201d for Russia.<\/p>\n
Trump and Putin agreed to immediate technical-level talks towards a longer-term settlement, which the Kremlin said must be \u201ccomplex, stable and long-term in nature\u201d.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s unclear if this means further negotiations between the US and Russia, or bilateral talks between Russia and Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The Kremlin also said Trump supported Putin\u2019s idea of holding ice hockey matches between professional US and Russian players.<\/p>\n
Russia was frozen out of ice hockey events overseas after the country invaded Ukraine in 2022.<\/p>\n
Kyiv will probably see the outcome of Tuesday\u2019s much-anticipated phone call as Putin playing for time, while he adds crippling conditions on any settlement.<\/p>\n
Putin has previously insisted Russia should keep control of Ukrainian territory it has seized and has called for Western sanctions to be eased as part of any eventual peace settlement.<\/p>\n
The Russian leader has already tasted Trump\u2019s readiness to cut off US support to Ukraine, and is trying to get him to repeat it – while tossing the ball back to Kyiv.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month the US temporarily suspended military and intelligence aid to Ukraine after Trump and Zelensky had an altercation in the Oval Office.<\/p>\n
Trump and his Vice-President JD Vance dressed down Zelensky in front of the world\u2019s media, accusing him of being ungrateful for American support.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday in Berlin with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the limited ceasefire plan was an important first step, but he again called for a complete ceasefire.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Zelensky after the Trump-Putin call and \u201creiterated [the] UK\u2019s unwavering support\u201d, a Downing Street spokeswoman said.<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n
–Agencies<\/p>\n
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