Washington, March 19 (IANS) US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed to a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war with a pause on attacks on energy and infrastructure and to begin negotiations for a full ceasefire and permanent peace starting immediately.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations and the situation in West Asia in a lengthy phone call that lasted nearly two hours.
The plan agreed by them will need to be affirmed by Ukraine.
“The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace,” said the White House in a readout of the call.
“These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East (West Asia).”
The two leaders “agreed this conflict needs to end with a lasting peace”.
The readout also said Trump and Putin “stressed the need for improved bilateral relations between the US and Russia” and that “a future with an improved bilateral relationship between the US and Russia has huge upside. This includes enormous economic deals and geopolitical stability when peace has been achieved”.
They also discussed West Asia “broadly”, the readout said “as a region of potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts”.
Iran also figured in their discussion.
“The two leaders shared the view that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel.”
An hour into the phone call, Dan Scavino, the Deputy Chief of Staff to President Trump, posted on X: “Happening Now — President Trump is currently in the Oval Office speaking with President Vladimir Putin of Russia since 10 a.m. EDT.”
“The call is going well, and still in progress.”
He posted an update 40 minutes later: “Update: Call still in progress…”
President Trump first announced his plans for a call late Sunday on the way back to Washington D.C. from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
The call follows talks between Steve Witkoff, Trump’s West Asia envoy, and President Putin in Moscow last week.
Witkoff has said the meeting lasted three to four hours.
That meeting came on the heels of a meeting between US’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the National Security Advisor (NSA) Mike Waltz with Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Ahead of the Tuesday call, H.R. McMaster, former NSA to Trump in the first term, told Fox News that Putin’s strategy is “to get Trump and the US to accept a deal that is unacceptable to the Ukrainians and then try to turn the US not only against Ukraine but against Europe”.
The call marks a significant step in President Trump’s efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which he has maintained would never have taken place if he was in office at the time.
–IANS
yrj/khz
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