The two spoke for more than an hour and a half, and both expressed hopes for repairing relations between the countries.
However, there was no agreement from the Russian president for Washington’s proposed full 30-day ceasefire in Russia’s war with its pro-Western neighbor.
The Kremlin said Putin agreed to pause strikes on Ukraine energy targets for 30 days and that Putin had already given the order to his military. The White House said separately that the “leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire”.
Russia has launched a series of devastating attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure throughout the three-year-old war. According to the Kremlin statement, Ukraine – which has bombed multiple Russian oil installations – had also agreed to the truce on energy targets, although Kyiv had yet to comment.
The two leaders agreed that broader truce talks would “begin immediately in the Middle East,” the White House said in its statement, also citing a “huge upside” if Russia and the United States improve their relations.
But the Kremlin statement said a “key condition” for peace would be ending Western military and intelligence support to Ukraine’s embattled military – a position that will alarm Kyiv and European capitals that have already accused Putin of stalling. (AFP)
