Limited ceasefire plan

UNITED States President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin agreed during a lengthy telephone conversation yesterday to an immediate pause in strikes against energy and infrastructure targets in the war in Ukraine.

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The Russian leader stopped short of backing a broader 30-day pause in fighting that the US administration was pressing for, but 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.

The White House said negotiations would “begin immediately” in the Middle East on those steps.

Shortly after the call between Mr Trump and Mr Putin, air raid alerts sounded in Kyiv, followed by explosions in the Ukraine's capital city. Local officials urged people to seek shelter.