BBC State Department Correspondent
President Vladimir Putin rejected an immediate and complete ceasefire in Ukraine, only accepting attacks on energy infrastructure, following an appeal with US President Donald Trump.
The Russian chief refused to register for the complete one month ceasefire that the Trump team recently worked with the Ukrainians in Saudi Arabia.
He said that a complete truce could only work if foreign military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine ended. The European allies of Ukraine have already rejected these conditions.
American discussions on Ukraine is expected to continue on Sunday in Djeddah, Saudi Arabia, the American envoy in the Middle East, said Steve Witkoff.
In the three -year war of crushing, Russia recently took over the territory in its Kursk region which was occupied by a Ukrainian incursion six months ago.
The results of Tuesday’s Trump-Putin call resulted in a retirement in the American position from which he was a week ago, although the two leaders agree that new peace talks would take place immediately in the Middle East.
When an American delegation met Ukrainian counterparts in Djeddah last Tuesday, they convinced Kyiv to accept their “immediate” 30-day cease-fire proposal, through land, air and the sea.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in Helsinki, Finland, for an official visit Tuesday shortly after the end of Trump and Putin’s call, said that Ukraine was open to the idea of ​​a truce covering the energy infrastructure, but first wanted more details.
He then accused Putin of having rejected a ceasefire following a dam of Russian drone attacks.
Among the targeted places, there was a Sumy hospital and electric power supplies in Slovyansk, said the leader of Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, there have been successes, in particular on civil infrastructure,” said Zelensky on X. “Today, Putin actually rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire.”
Trump posted earlier on social networks than his call with the Russian chief was “very good and productive” and that “many elements of a peace contract were discussed”.
“We agreed with an immediate cease-fire on any energy and infrastructure, understanding that we will work quickly to have a complete ceasefire and, ultimately, the end of this very horrible war between Russia and Ukraine,” said the American president on Truth Social.
About 80% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure was destroyed by Russian bombs, Zelensky said last September.
Kyiv in turn has led strikes of drones and missiles deeply in Russian territory, on oil and gas facilities.
Only a few hours after Putin agreed to stop attacking energy infrastructure, Russia and Ukraine have accused each other to launch air attacks.
Zelensky said Russia had launched more than 40 drones against Ukraine in the hours that followed the call between Trump and Putin.
Meanwhile, officials from the Southern Russian region of Krasnodar said that an attack by Ukrainian drone had launched a short fire in an oil deposit.
In Belgorod, a Russian region on the border with Ukraine, the governor said that the situation “remained difficult”. Moscow said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces had tried the ground against Belgorod but had been pushed.
After last week’s talks in Djeddah, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “the ball” was before the Russian court, after the Ukrainians accepted Washington’s proposal for a full ceasefire.
But the declaration of the White House after Trump-Putin’s call on Tuesday made no reference to this agreement with kyiv.
Rather, he said that the two leaders have agreed that “the movement towards peace will begin with an energy cease-fire and infrastructure”, followed by negotiations on a “ceasefire maritime in the Black Sea, the complete cease-fire and permanent peace”.
But the Kremlin’s own declaration on the call noted what she said was a “series of important problems” concerning the application of any agreement with kyiv. And he said that the end of foreign support and information for Ukraine was a “key condition” for Russia.
Trump and Putin have accepted immediate technical talks to a longer -term regulation, which, according to the Kremlin, must be “complex, stable and long -term”.
But it is not clear if it means other negotiations between the United States and Russia, or bilateral talks between Russia and Ukraine.
The Kremlin also said that Trump had supported Putin’s idea to keep ice hockey matches between American and Russian professional players.
Russia was frozen outside the ice hockey events abroad after the country invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Kyiv will probably see the result of the highly anticipated phone call on Tuesday as Putin playing for time, while he adds paralyzing conditions to any regulations.
Putin previously insisted that Russia should keep control of the Ukrainian territory which he seized and called on Western sanctions to be relaxed within the framework of a possible peace regulation.
The Russian chief has already tasted Trump’s desire to cut American support to Ukraine, and tries to make him repeat – while sending the ball back to Kyiv.
Earlier this month, the United States temporarily suspended military aid and intelligence in Ukraine after Trump and Zelensky had an altercation in the oval office.
Trump and his vice-president JD Vance released Zelensky in front of the world’s media, accusing him of being ungrateful for American support.
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday in Berlin with French President Emmanuel Macron, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the limited ceasefire plan was an important first step, but he again called for a complete ceasefire.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Zelensky after Trump-Putin’s call and “reiterated [the] The unwavering support of the United Kingdom, “said a Downing Street spokesperson.
