EA on BBC: The Trump-Putin Call on Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Tuesday’s Coverage: Trump Administration May Recognize Occupied Crimea as Part of Russia
Map: Institute for the Study of War
Trying to reclaim the initiative from the Kyiv-US proposal for a 30-day interim ceasefire, Putin gave Trump the prize of a temporary halt to attacks on energy infrastructure. He deferred any commitment over assaults at sea or on the frontline.
The Russian’s broader objective was to restate “a number of significant points” emphasizing his demands. The Kremlin’s statement stressed that the “key condition” for further talks is that other countries “completely cease” foreign military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine.
These included “effective control” over any ceasefire along the line of conflict; a halt to mobilization of Ukrainians and rearming of its armed forces — with no corresponding commitment on the Russian side; and the requirement to “eliminate the root causes of the crisis” — phrasing to cover the ultimata for a weak, “neutral” Ukraine with no security guarantees from the West, and possibly for the removal of the Zelensky Government.
In its readout, the White House omitted the Russian ultimata. Instead, it highlighted the pause of attacks on energy infrastructure and talks for “implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire, and permanent peace”, with negotiations in the Middle East.
Significantly, the White House did not say if Ukraine and European powers will be part of the talks, or whether the US and Russia will return to the direct discussions that they launched last month in Saudi Arabia.
Trump and Putin emphasized the removal of sanctions on Moscow by declaring that a future with an improved bilateral relationship between the United States and Russia has huge upside”.
“This includes enormous economic deals and geopolitical stability when peace has been achieved,” they said.
Putin informed Trump of plans for a Russian-Ukrainian swap of 175 prisoners of war on each side, and “as a gesture of goodwill”, a further release of 23 “seriously wounded” Ukrainian servicemen.
Trump posted a simplistic summary on his Truth Social platform about the “very good and productive” conversation:
We agreed to an immediate Ceasefire on all Energy and Infrastructure, with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible War between Russia and Ukraine.
In an interview on Fox TV, he repeated the falsehood that Putin’s forces had encircled about 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region in western Russia.
Asked about Putin’s demand for an immediate cessation of aid to Ukraine, Trump declared: “No, we didn’t talk about aid, actually, we didn’t talk about aid at all. We talked about a lot of things but aid was never discussed.”
Zelensky: “The Pressure on Russia Must Continue”
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky noted late Tuesday that, despite Putin’s supposed agreement to a partial ceasefire, Russia had launched around 40 drones. He reported strikes on civilian infrastructure, including a direct hit on a hospital in the Sumy region in northern Ukraine.
It is these types of nighttime attacks by Russia that destroy our energy sector, our infrastructure, and the normal life of Ukrainians. And the fact that this night is no exception shows that the pressure on Russia must continue for the sake of peace.
Zelensky called out Putin’s tactics and appealed for an effective international response:
Today, Putin effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire. It would be right for the world to respond by rejecting any attempts by Putin to prolong the war.
Sanctions against Russia. Assistance to Ukraine. Strengthening allies in the free world and working toward security guarantees. And only a real cessation of strikes on civilian infrastructure by Russia, as proof of its willingness to end this war, can bring peace closer.
Earlier in the evening, Zelensky had endorsed the mutual halt of attacks oninfrastructure but said he was waiting for “details” of what Putin and Trump had agreed.