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Trump, Putin call ends with halt on Ukraine energy facility strikes
STORY: A highly anticipated phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended with a limited agreement for Russia to halt strikes against energy infrastructure in Ukraine, which Kyiv quickly said it would be willing to consider.The Kremlin said Putin ordered the Russian military to halt the strikes against energy facilities in Ukraine.But Putin stopped short of accepting a broader U.S.-backed 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine has said it is ready to accept.In a statement after Tuesday’s call, the White House said:”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 Kremlin said Putin had raised concerns about such a truce being used by Ukraine to mobilize more soldiers and rearm itself.Putin also said that any resolution of the conflict would require an end to all military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine.Later, Trump said on Truth Social that the call was “productive” with an understanding that the leaders will be “working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END” to the war.Trump’s overtures to Putin since returning to the White House have left traditional U.S. allies wary.Ukraine and its Western allies have long described Russia’s invasion as an imperialist land grab, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Putin of deliberately prolonging the war.After Tuesday’s call, the Kremlin said that Russia and Ukraine would conduct another prisoner exchange on Wednesday, trading 175 people from each side.