Trump Speaks with Putin, Russia Agrees to Ceasefire on "Energy and Infrastructure"

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, discussing the possibility of a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war during a conversation that lasted over two hours. According to an official White House statement released after the talks, the two leaders agreed that "this conflict must end with lasting peace" and emphasized the necessity of improving bilateral relations.

The White House statement noted that Trump and Putin concurred that "this conflict should never have happened and should have long been resolved through sincere and goodwill-driven peace efforts." Both sides agreed to start with a ceasefire in energy and infrastructure sectors and will hold technical negotiations regarding a ceasefire in the Black Sea region, aiming for a comprehensive ceasefire and permanent peace. These talks will begin immediately in the Middle East.

Additionally, the White House statement highlighted that the two leaders discussed the Middle East as a potential area for cooperation to prevent future conflicts. They further stressed the necessity of curbing the proliferation of strategic weapons and pledged to work with other nations to ensure this effort achieves the broadest possible implementation. Trump and Putin also agreed that improved U.S.-Russia bilateral relations hold immense potential, including significant economic cooperation agreements and enhanced geopolitical stability.

Reuters reported that the Kremlin stated Putin agreed to Trump’s proposal for Russia and Ukraine to halt attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure for 30 days, with corresponding orders issued to the Russian military. According to Russia’s TASS news agency, the Kremlin released a statement after the meeting, noting that Presidents Trump and Putin agreed to maintain contact on all discussed issues, demonstrating the commitment of both the U.S. and Russia to ending the Ukraine war and pursuing future cooperation. TASS also reported that Russia and Ukraine would each exchange 175 prisoners of war.

Furthermore, Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev posted on the social media platform X, stating: “Today, the world has become safer thanks to the leadership of President Putin and President Trump!”

Reuters reported that the Kremlin’s statement emphasized "the key condition for preventing escalation and moving toward a political and diplomatic resolution is the complete cessation of foreign military aid and intelligence support to Kyiv." The report suggested that Ukraine and Europe might find this stance objectionable.

While Trump and Putin held their call, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was visiting Finland. He posted on X that he would discuss defense support, investments in Ukrainian weapons production, and tightening sanctions on Russia with Finnish leaders.He wrote: “Europe must have a seat at the negotiating table; everything related to European security should be decided together with Europe.”

In addition to discussions about a ceasefire in Ukraine, TASS reported that during the talks, Putin proposed holding an ice hockey match between players from the U.S. National Hockey League (NHL) and Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Trump expressed support for the idea.Ice hockey was a prominent Cold War-era contest between the Soviet Union and the U.S. At the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, an amateur U.S. college team famously defeated the formidable Soviet squad, creating the Olympic “Miracle on Ice.”