Trump and Putin agree limited Ukraine ceasefire on energy and infrastructure

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on a Ukraine “energy and infrastructure ceasefire” in a phone call on Tuesday afternoon.

A White House statement said there will be immediate “technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace”.

“Both leaders agreed this conflict needs to end with a lasting peace,” it said.

The conversation also “spoke broadly” on the Middle East.

“They further 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,” the statement said.

The two leaders agreed that a future with an improved bilateral relationship between the United States and Russia has “huge upside”.

“This includes enormous economic deals and geopolitical stability when peace has been achieved,” the statement added.

The two leaders spoke on the phone for over an hour.

The US had been optimistic about a deal in recent days, but Ukraine and Europe had sounded much more pessimistic.

On Monday evening, Zelenskyy posted on X that it had been one week since the US proposed the ceasefire and it is now “clear to everyone in the world – even to those who refused to acknowledge the truth for the past three years – that it is Putin who continues to drag out this war.”

“For a week now, Putin has been unable to squeeze out ‘yes’ to the ceasefire proposal. He’s saying whatever he wants, but not what the whole world wants to hear.”

European leaders have also noted Putin’s lukewarm response to the ceasefire proposal and reacted with pessimism at the idea Russia may pause its fighting.

Putin himself has said in recent days the battle in the Russian region of Kursk, which Ukraine invaded seven months ago, is almost over.

Tensions have been high between Zelenskyy, Putin and Trump since the new US president was installed in January, including the American and Ukrainian leaders having a heated, televised exchange in late February, Zelenskyy describing Putin’s ceasefire comments as “manipulative” and Trump seeming to change his tone towards Russia when he pleaded with Putin to spare the lives of “vulnerable” Ukrainian troops.