Vladimir Putin has agreed to a proposal from Donald Trump for Russia to stop hitting Ukrainian energy targets for 30 days following a marathon phone call between the pair, the Kremlin has said.
The Russian leader and US president spoke on the phone for more than 90 minutes about settling the Ukraine conflict.
In a statement, the Kremlin said the pair had a “detailed and frank exchange of views”, adding that Putin told Trump that a resolution to the war must be “comprehensive, sustainable and long-term”.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s international cooperation envoy, hailed the conversation as “historic!” and “epic!” in a post on X around the time call finished, adding: “Under the leadership of President Putin and President Trump, the world has become a much safer place today!”
The White House said the pair had agreed the three-year war needs to end with a “lasting peace” and talks to achieve this will start straight away.
“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,” it said in a statement.
Ahead of Tuesday’s call, Downing Street said prime minister Keir Starmer had told Trump that Ukraine must be put in the “strongest possible position” in order to secure a “just and lasting peace.”
No10 said the two leaders had spoken on Monday evening and discussed the ceasefire as well as the progress made with Starmer’s “coalition of the willing” that will support Ukraine once peace has been secured.
Read more about the Ukraine war below from our media partners. Click the headlines to skip ahead
> Trump and Putin agree to limited ceasefire on energy and infrastructure
> Starmer tells Trump Ukraine must be put in ‘strongest possible position’
> Can Britain and France defend Europe against Russian aggression?
> German MPs approve fiscal ‘bazooka’ for defence
> Poland wants to quit landmine treaty over Russia
Trump and Putin agree to limited ceasefire on energy and infrastructure
Vladimir Putin has agreed to an energy and infrastructure ceasefire for 30 days in the first step towards ending the Ukraine war after speaking to Donald Trump, the White House has said.
Trump had been pressuring Putin to agree to a US-backed 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine has already accepted as part of a move toward a permanent peace deal to end Europe’s biggest conflict since World War Two.
Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, said last week he supported in principle Washington’s proposal for a truce but that his forces would fight on until several crucial conditions were worked out.
Starmer tells Trump Ukraine must be put in ‘strongest possible position’
Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Donald Trump ahead of the US president’s crunch talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
The Prime Minister told Trump that Ukraine must be put in the “strongest possible position” in order to secure a “just and lasting peace” in the war with Russia.
Following the call, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister updated the president on his coalition of the willing call with international leaders that took place on Saturday.
Can Britain and France defend Europe against Russian aggression?
European doubts about deterrence predate the current US administration. Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and its growing reliance on nuclear coercion to ward off Nato support, brought the importance of nuclear weapons to the foreground again for the first time since the cold war.
Even after the invasion, the US continued to prioritise the Indo-Pacific. It questioned the sufficiency of its nuclear arsenal as China’s weapon stockpile grew and delivery systems improved.
German MPs approve fiscal ‘bazooka’ for defence
German lawmakers gave the green light Tuesday for a colossal spending boost for defence and infrastructure pushed by chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz amid deep fears in Europe over the future strength of the transatlantic alliance.
The unprecedented fiscal package — dubbed an “XXL-sized” cash “bazooka” by German media — could pave the way for more than one trillion euros (dollars) in spending over the next decade in Europe’s top economy.
Speaking to parliament, Merz cited Russia’s “war of aggression against Europe” and said the funding boost would spell “the first major step towards a new European defence community”.
Poland wants to quit landmine treaty over Russia
Poland and the Baltic states said on Tuesday that they want to withdraw from an international treaty banning anti-personnel mines, citing Russia’s growing military threat.
In a joint statement, the defence ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland said they “unanimously recommend withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention”.
The 1997 treaty — which prohibits the use, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines — has been ratified or acceded to by more than 160 countries.