White House: Trump, Putin agree to ceasefire on energy, infrastructure

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to an immediate pause on strikes against energy and infrastructure targets during a phone call on Tuesday. 

Putin, however, stopped short of backing a broader 30-day ceasefire deal. 

White House: Both leaders call for "the need for peace"

Following the president's conversation with Putin, the White House released a statement saying that both leaders spoke about "the need for peace and a ceasefire in the Ukraine war."

What they're saying:

"Both leaders agreed this conflict needs to end with a lasting peace. They also stressed the need for improved bilateral relations between the United States and Russia. The blood and treasure that both Ukraine and Russia have been spending in this war would be better spent on the needs of their people."

Dig deeper:

The statement also revealed that Trump and Putin agreed that to begin steps toward peace, there will be some sort of energy and infrastructure ceasefire. 

There will also be "technical negotiations" on a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea.

"These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East," the White House said. 

The other side:

The Kremlin said Putin welcomed Trump's calls for the maritime ceasefire and "agreed to begin negotiations to further work out specific details of such an agreement."

Putin also told Trump that Russia and Ukraine are set to exchange 175 prisoners of war each on Wednesday, and Russia will also hand over to Ukraine 23 badly wounded soldiers, the Kremlin said.

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

The move comes as the White House pushes for Russia to sign off on its 30-day ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia stays tight-lipped

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday morning confirmed the plans for the two leaders to speak on Tuesday, but declined to give details, saying that "we never get ahead of events" and "the content of conversations between the two presidents are not subject to any prior discussion."

2nd phone call between Trump and Putin

The backstory:

It would be the second publicized call between the two leaders since Trump began his second term in January. 

Trump’s first call to Putin came after U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff traveled to Russia to bring home Marc Fogel, an American history teacher the U.S. had deemed wrongfully detained.

One day after the prisoner swap, Trump announced that he had spoken to Putin and said their call was "lengthy and highly productive."

What could happen? 

More likely than not, a ceasefire or a peace deal will not be agreed upon during this call, Rebekah Koffler, a freelance editorial writer and strategic military analyst, speculated in an opinion piece for FOX News. 

What they're saying:

"When it comes to the substantive side of the Trump-Putin deal on Ukraine, there will be no breakthrough on Tuesday. But both sides will likely report positive progress with no specific details," Koffler wrote. 

When asked if the U.S. would accept a peace deal that involved Russia being allowed to keep Ukrainian territory it has seized during an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Waltz posited how realistic that ask was. 

What they're saying:

"We have to ask ourselves, is it in our national interest? Is it realistic? We’ve talked to the Europeans about this, and the Ukrainians. Are we going to drive every Russian off of every inch of Ukrainian soil, including Crimea?" Waltz asked. 

Will Russia agree to a 30-day ceasefire? 

While Ukraine has agreed to the U.S. 30-day ceasefire deal, Putin said that Russia agreed in principle with the proposal, but the terms need to be worked out. 

He emphasized that it should pave the way to lasting peace.

What they're saying:

"So the idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it," Putin told a news conference in Moscow. "But there are issues that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to discuss it with our American colleagues and partners."

He noted the need to develop a mechanism to control possible breaches of the truce. Another issue, he said, is whether Ukraine could use the 30-day ceasefire to rearm.

No NATO

Big picture view:

Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the four regions that Russia has seized but never fully controlled, renounce its bid to join NATO and protect the rights of Russian speakers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously rejected these demands.

On top of that, Putin wanted Kyiv to withdraw its forces from the four regions Moscow has seized but doesn’t fully control.

Russian officials have also said that any prospective peace deal should involve unfreezing Russian assets in the West and lifting other U.S. and European Union sanctions. 

Along with that, Putin has repeatedly emphasized the need to "remove the root causes of the crisis," a reference to the Kremlin’s demand to roll back a NATO military buildup near Russian borders it describes as a major threat to its security.

What else might Russia demand? 

Some experts have said that instead of just rejecting any proposed deal, Russia may demand several conditions. 

Dig deeper:

Pro-Kremlin commentator Sergei Markov suggested Moscow could agree to a truce if Ukraine’s allies halt arms supplies to Kyiv.

Another wish is a presidential election in Ukraine, which would be possible after Ukraine lifts martial law.

What they're saying:

"The sort of ceasefire that it might be interested in is quite clearly not the kind of ceasefire that the Ukrainians or the Europeans might be interested in, although the Americans may be more malleable on that," Sam Greene of the Washington-based Center for European Policy Analysis, told The Associated Press.

Donald J. TrumpU.S.Russia-UkraineNews