Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he will have a conversation with US President Donald Trump later today, emphasizing that the United States should oversee any potential ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia with a focus on energy infrastructure.
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed yesterday to temporarily cease assaults on Ukrainian energy facilities but stopped short of supporting a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire that President Trump envisaged as a pathway to a lasting peace agreement.
Moscow and Kyiv have each accused the other of launching airstrikes that damaged infrastructure just hours after their leaders agreed to a limited ceasefire aimed at protecting energy assets.
During a joint briefing in Helsinki with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Mr. Zelensky stated that Mr. Putin’s assurances were insufficient and that Ukraine would compile a list of energy facilities that they hope the US and its allies will help monitor.
“If the Russians refrain from striking our facilities, then we will certainly not target theirs.”
Earlier, Kyiv’s air force reported the destruction of 72 out of 145 drones launched by Russia overnight, while Russia’s defense ministry claimed it had downed 57 Ukrainian drones.
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Putin unwilling to make concessions
Following the phone call between Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump yesterday, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas remarked that Russia cannot be trusted.
“If you review the two summaries from the call, it is evident that … Russia does not truly wish to make any concessions,” Ms. Kallas conveyed to reporters in Brussels.
Ukraine has accused Russia of effectively dismissing the ceasefire proposal, noting a continuous barrage of strikes on civilian infrastructure just hours after Moscow agreed to a temporary halt on attacks against energy facilities.
The United States has advocated for an immediate 30-day ceasefire as an initial measure to bring an end to the ongoing three-year war.
However, during the phone call yesterday, Mr. Putin asserted that any comprehensive agreement would depend on the West ceasing all military assistance and intelligence to Ukraine.
While the call did not achieve the significant ceasefire that Ukraine had hoped for, it did result in a more limited commitment to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days.
Today, Russia and Ukraine are also set to exchange 175 prisoners each “as a goodwill gesture,” with further discussions planned to occur immediately in the Middle East.
An explosion is seen in the sky over Kyiv during a Russian drone strike amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Explosions were heard, and air raid sirens sounded in Ukraine just hours following the conversation between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin.
Mr. Zelensky reported, “There have been strikes, particularly on civilian infrastructure,” including a hospital in Sumy.
“It is attacks like these at night by Russia that devastate our energy sector, our infrastructure, and the daily lives of Ukrainians,” Mr. Zelensky noted.
“Today, Putin effectively rejected the proposal for a complete ceasefire.”
Meanwhile, across the border, Russian emergency service officials indicated that debris from a thwarted Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at an oil depot in the village of Kavkazskaya.
Mr. Zelensky has alleged that Russia is not “prepared to end this war.” In Kyiv, many war-weary Ukrainians appeared to concur.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously expressed support for a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire.
‘Details to work out’
Mr. Trump, asserting that he has an “understanding” with Mr. Putin, has been striving to fulfill a campaign promise to mediate an end to the Ukraine conflict.
He shocked the world in February by announcing the initiation of direct talks with Russia to resolve the conflict, which raised concerns among allies about a potential capitulation to Russian demands.
The US president characterized his latest conversation with Putin as “good and productive.”
“We agreed to an immediate ceasefire on all energy and infrastructure, with an understanding that we will work swiftly to achieve a complete ceasefire and ultimately, an end to this very terrible war between Russia and Ukraine,” Mr. Trump later shared on his Truth Social platform.
Throughout the conflict, Russia has conducted severe attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, while Ukraine has retaliated by bombing various Russian oil installations.
Moscow also emphasized that a broader truce would hinge on its long-standing demands for a “complete cessation” of Western military and intelligence support to Ukraine’s armed forces.
A Kremlin announcement further stated that Ukraine must not rearm or mobilize while any ceasefire is in effect.
In a televised interview following the Trump-Putin call, US envoy Steve Witkoff indicated that ceasefire discussions would resume on Sunday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
He acknowledged that there are still some “details to work out,” particularly regarding negotiations for a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and eventually a comprehensive truce.
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to temporarily halt attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities.
Read more: Russia agrees to pause strikes on Ukraine energy targets for 30 days.
‘Count on us’
In an interview with Fox News, Mr. Trump acknowledged that persuading Mr. Putin to agree to a full ceasefire would be challenging, noting that “Russia has the advantage.”
Since seizing Crimea in 2014 and commencing its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia currently occupies about a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
The US has made it clear that Ukraine may have to concede territory in any resolution, raising concerns that Mr. Trump could pressure Kyiv into an inequitable deal.
Western allies have observed with trepidation as Mr. Trump has shifted years of US policy that staunchly supported Ukraine, highlighted by his publicly contentious exchanges with Mr. Zelensky in the Oval Office.
The UK and French governments have been working to form a so-called “coalition of the willing” to safeguard any ceasefire in Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed their commitment to continue providing military assistance to Ukraine following the Kremlin’s statement, with Mr. Scholz saying, “Ukraine can count on us.”
Yet, soldiers on Ukraine’s front lines expressed skepticism about the prospect of a swift peace. “How can you trust those who attack you and kill civilians, including children?” questioned Oleksandr, 35, who has returned to military training in the Donetsk region after sustaining injuries in combat.
