WASHINGTON—Following a phone call with President Donald Trump on March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to a limited cease-fire, in which Russia and Ukraine would stop targeting each other’s energy infrastructure for 30 days.
Trump and Putin started the conversation at around 10 a.m. ET, with the discussion lasting nearly 90 minutes.
“My phone conversation today with President Putin of Russia was a very good and productive one,” Trump said in a Truth Social post after the call.
“We 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.”
According to a Kremlin readout of the call, Trump proposed a deal whereby Russian and Ukrainian forces would mutually refrain from attacks on “energy infrastructure facilities.”
“Vladimir Putin responded positively to this initiative and immediately gave the Russian military the corresponding order,” the Kremlin added.
The agreement comes a week after Kyiv agreed to a different U.S.-backed 30-day cease-fire proposal, which would have covered all aspects of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine rather than just energy facilities.
As he reviewed the proposal for a more comprehensive temporary cease-fire, Putin questioned how the truce would be monitored. He also raised concerns about Ukraine using the reprieve as an opportunity to rearm and mobilize more troops for a resumption of hostilities.
“It was emphasized that the key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict and working toward its resolution by political and diplomatic means should be a complete cessation of foreign military assistance and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv,” the Kremlin said.
According to a readout by the White House: “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.
“These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East.”
However, there is a key discrepancy between the Kremlin’s characterization of the deal and the White House’s. The Kremlin described the deal as one barring attacks on “energy infrastructure facilities,” while the White House readout indicates the truce covers “energy and infrastructure,” which could be broader.
The Epoch Times reached out to the White House for more clarification on this limited truce, and did not immediately receive a response.
The Kremlin said Putin had also agreed to release 175 Ukrainians held by Russia in exchange for the return of 175 Russians held by the Ukrainian side. In addition, Russia agreed to release 23 severely wounded Ukrainian servicemen to Ukraine “as a goodwill gesture.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would support the proposal to stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. However, he told reporters during an online briefing that he does not trust the Russians and, as a result, needs to understand how the cease-fire will work technically.
He said he hoped to speak to Trump about his talks with Putin.
“We support all steps aimed at the end of the war,” he said. “But in order to support them, we need to understand what, exactly, we support. When President Trump has time—he is a busy man—when he has time, he can call me any time, he has my phone number. We are ready to talk through further steps, with pleasure.”
Prior to the call, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Kyiv is not an “obstacle” to a peace deal with Russia and expressed optimism that both sides could achieve peace under Trump’s leadership.
“Our approach: Now is a time for diplomacy, for a strong diplomacy,” Sybiha said on March 18 during a geopolitical conference in India.
“We also really believe that with [the] leadership of President Trump, we could achieve long-lasting, just peace.”
The call follows a meeting in Moscow last week between Trump’s de facto Russia envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin.
According to Witkoff, both the U.S. and Russian sides made “a lot of progress” during that meeting, which lasted more than three hours.
During an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation” on March 16, Witkoff said, the significant gap between Ukraine and Russia that existed prior to Trump’s inauguration has been narrowed.
He noted that a cease-fire involves addressing various factors, such as preventing fighting along a 1,200-mile border and in areas like Kursk. He mentioned the need to consider Russia’s focus on specific regions, the protection of a nuclear reactor supplying electricity to Ukraine, access to ports, and potential agreements related to the Black Sea.
