Washington: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a lengthy phone conversation on Tuesday. Trump and Putin agreed during their call to seek a limited ceasefire against energy and infrastructure targets in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the White House. The White House described it as the first step in a “movement to peace” it hopes will eventually include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and a full and lasting end to the fighting. The White House said negotiations would “begin immediately” on those steps. It was not immediately clear whether Ukraine is on board with the phased ceasefire plan.

Putin also called on Trump to end foreign military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine as the US looks to bring an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.

Earlier, before the call, Trump had said that he expected to discuss with Putin land and power plants that have been seized during the three-year war.

Ukrainian officials last week agreed to the American proposal during talks in Saudi Arabia led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, remains sceptical that Putin is ready for peace as Russian forces continue to pound Ukraine. The engagement is just the latest turn in dramatically shifting US-Russia relations as Trump made quickly ending the conflict a top priority — even at the expense of straining ties with longtime American allies who want Putin to pay a price for the invasion.

“It’s a bad situation in Russia, and it’s a bad situation in Ukraine,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “What’s happening in Ukraine is not good, but we’re going to see if we can work a peace agreement, a ceasefire and peace. And I think we’ll be able to do........

© News9Live