Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin rejects full ceasefire but halts strikes on energy targets after Trump call
Lengthy phone call between US and Russian presidents came as White House pushes for Kremlin to sign off on its 30-day ceasefire proposal to end Moscow’s three-year invasion of Ukraine
Vladimir Putin has rejected a full ceasefire but has agreed to halt attacks on energy targets in Ukraine after his call with Donald Trump.
The Russian and US presidents agreed during their phone call on Tuesday to seek a 30-day ceasefire against energy and infrastructure targets in Moscow’s war in Ukraine, 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, adding that negotiations would "begin immediately" on those steps.
However, the Kremlin said Mr Putin told Mr Trump that the US and its allies must end military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine to halt hostilities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said later on Tuesday that Ukraine would support the US proposal to stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, and said he hoped to speak to US President Donald Trump about his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The phone call, which began at 2pm GMT and lasted for more than an hour, came as the White House pushes for Russia to sign off on its 30-day ceasefire proposal to end Russia’s three-year invasion of Ukraine.
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Trump-Putin chat going well, says White House
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin started their conversation at 2pm GMT, the White House announced.
Dan Scavino, the deputy chief of staff, said the converstion was “going well”.
Trump and Putin call ‘going well,’ White House says
Is Putin making Trump wait? It is a tactic beloved by the Russian leader
Vladimir Putin was due to speak to Donald Trump between 1 pm and 3 pm GMT today.
But the Russian leader was busy addressing oligarchs at a business conference until 1.52 pm, when he eventually left the venue. He had been talking about how Western sanctions would continue to try to exclude Russia from the global economy.
There has still not been any announcement about a call with Trump.
Pressed by former economy minister Alexander Shokhin just after 1 pm whether he would be late for the call with Trump, Putin joked that it was better not to listen to his spokesperson, who had announced the call timings earlier.
Putin does have a history of making leaders wait.
Last Thursday, US envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly arrived in Moscow shortly after noon but only met with Putin late in the evening.
Is this happening to Trump?
Just before 2.30 pm today, English-language state media site Russia Today joked that Putin cut his talk short because Trump was pestering him.
Could this be what Putin was trying to suggest by delaying the call? Autocrats are known for making people wait. Putin is no exception.
Mapped: Russia pushing Ukraine out of Kursk
As we wait for information on Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin, we remind you that Russia is continuing to push Ukrainian forces out of the border region of Kursk.
In less than a fortnight, Ukraine’s partial hold on the region has been reduced to less than 10 per cent of its peak last October.
Russia had been making gains over the past few months but started making serious inroads after cutting off Ukraine’s last supply line a few days into the start of March.
Ukraine’s partial control of Kursk could have proved a key bargaining chip for Kyiv in peace talks with Russia.
South Korea and Ukraine discuss fate of North Korean prisoners of war
South Korea and Ukraine discuss what to do with North Korean prisoners of war
Estonia to raise defence spending to 5% by 2026
Estonia will raise its defence spending to at least five per cent of its GDP by 2026, the government has announced.
Poland is the only European country that spends five per cent on defence, but the continent is looking to boost its investment in light of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
If Estonia meets this threshold, it will have been a significant jump from 3.43 per cent of GDP in 2024.
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Putin concludes a business conference in Moscow
Vladimir Putin has finished a business conference in Moscow.
He was due to speak to Donald Trump at 1 pm GMT but was still addressing the conference.
When he was asked if he would be late, Putin joked that it wasn’t worth listening to his spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, who had earlier announced the timings of the call.
In pictures: Putin attends a business conference in Moscow despite scheduled call with Trump
Vladimir Putin has attended a business conference in Moscow despite being scheduled to begin a conversation with Donald Trump.
Putin will demand suspension of all weapons deliveries to Ukraine in Trump calls, Bloomberg reports
Vladimir Putin will demand a suspension of all weapons deliveries to Ukraine during a phone call with Donald Trump this afternoon, Bloomberg is reporting.
The US news site quotes people with knowledge of the Kremlin’s thinking saying that Putin will push Trump to halt all weapons deliveries to Ukraine, including European deliveries.
At a minimum, the officials said, Putin will seek for the US to halt all its weapons deliveries.
European allies worry that this would allow Russia to rearm during a pause in fighting before recommencing its invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv, meanwhile, would be unable to properly defend itself.
Putin jokes about being late to Trump phone call
Vladimir Putin has joked about being late for a phone call with Donald Trump.
When former economy minister Alexander Shokhin asked if he was late for the call just after 1 pm (GMT), Putin shrugged and said “not to listen” to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
The crowd of businessmen at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs laughed as he said this.
Peskov announced this morning that the call would take place between 1 pm and 3 pm GMT.
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