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During a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to a proposal to stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
Bloomberg reports this with reference to an anonymous source with knowledge of the negotiations.
What is known about the agreement?
According to the source, Zelenskyy supported Trump’s proposal and agreed to stop attacks on Russian energy facilities. Bloomberg also notes that the US and Ukraine have agreed to work on expanding the ceasefire.
Trump described the conversation with the Ukrainian president as “very good”, adding that much of the conversation was based on his previous dialogue with Putin, where they discussed “matching the needs and demands of Russia and Ukraine”.
Background to the negotiations
On 18 March, it became known that after Trump’s phone call with Putin, the Kremlin abandoned the US initiative for a full 30-day ceasefire. Instead, the Russian leader agreed to only temporarily refrain from attacks on energy facilities.
However, on 19 March, Zelenskyy said that despite Moscow’s alleged “guarantees”, Russia attacked the Ukrainian power grid again that night.
Doubts about the Kremlin’s sincerity
Despite the new shelling of Ukraine, US Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff said he “believes Putin’s promises to act in good faith to end the war”.
These statements provoked a mixed reaction, as the Kremlin has repeatedly violated previous agreements by continuing its military aggression against Ukraine. It remains to be seen whether Russia will comply with the conditions for ending attacks on energy infrastructure.
