BBC State Division Correspondent
President Vladimir Putin has rejected a right away and full ceasefire in Ukraine, agreeing solely to halt assaults on vitality infrastructure, following a name with US President Donald Trump.
The Russian chief declined to enroll to the great month-long ceasefire that Trump’s crew not too long ago labored out with Ukrainians in Saudi Arabia.
He mentioned a complete truce may solely work if overseas navy help and intelligence sharing with Ukraine got here to an finish.
Ukraine’s European allies have beforehand rejected such circumstances.
The US and Russian leaders did agree that additional peace talks would happen instantly within the Center East, however the outcomes of the decision quantity to a retreat within the Trump administration’s place from the place it stood every week in the past.
When a US delegation met Ukrainian counterparts in Jeddah final Tuesday, they satisfied Kyiv to conform to their proposal for an “instant” 30-day ceasefire, throughout land, air and sea.
President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned Ukraine was receptive to the thought of a truce protecting vitality infrastructure, however needed extra particulars first.
“I feel it is going to be proper that we are going to have a dialog with President Trump and we’ll know intimately what the Russians supplied the People or what the People supplied the Russians,” Zelensky mentioned.
Trump posted on social media that Tuesday’s name with the Russian chief was “excellent and productive”.
“We agreed to a right away Ceasefire on all Vitality and Infrastructure, with an understanding that we are going to be working rapidly to have a Full Ceasefire and, finally, an END to this very horrible Struggle between Russia and Ukraine,” the US president mentioned on Reality Social.
“Many parts of a Contract for Peace have been mentioned, together with the truth that hundreds of troopers are being killed, and each President Putin and President Zelenskyy wish to see it finish.”
After final week’s talks in Jeddah, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had mentioned “the ball” was in Russia’s court docket, after the Ukrainians accepted Washington’s proposal for a full ceasefire.
However the White Home’s assertion following the Trump-Putin name made no reference to that settlement with Kyiv.
It as a substitute mentioned the 2 leaders agreed that “the motion to peace will start with an vitality and infrastructure ceasefire”, adopted by negotiations over a “maritime ceasefire within the Black Sea, full ceasefire and everlasting peace”.
However the Kremlin personal assertion on the decision famous what it mentioned have been a “sequence of serious points” round implementing any settlement with Kyiv. And it mentioned the tip of overseas assist and intelligence for Ukraine was a “key situation” for Russia.
Trump and Putin agreed to instant technical-level talks in the direction of a longer-term settlement, which the Kremlin mentioned should be “complicated, steady and long-term in nature”.
But it surely’s unclear if this implies additional negotiations between the US and Russia, or bilateral talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine will in all probability see the end result of Tuesday’s much-anticipated cellphone name as Vladimir Putin taking part in for time, whereas he provides crippling circumstances on any settlement.
The Russian chief has already tasted Trump’s readiness to chop off US assist to Ukraine, and is making an attempt to get him to repeat it – whereas tossing the ball again to Kyiv.
