Putin agrees to halt strikes on Ukraine energy targets

Kremlin says Russian president has ordered his military to stop attacks for 30 days, following phone call with Trump

- C H R I S S T E V E N S O N

A high-stakes call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to try and agree a ceasefire that would help bring an end to the invasion of Ukraine finished with the Russian leader agreeing to halt strikes on its energy grid for 30 days – but without the full battlefield truce that the US and Kyiv have been seeking.

The Kremlin said Putin had given an immediate order to Russia’s military to stop such strikes in the wake of the call. Ukraine will welcome any stoppage to the regular barrages of missiles and drones which can plunge swathes of the country into blackouts – with Kyiv accusing Moscow of terrorising its citizens with the large-scale aerial assaults. But what is clear is that the Kremlin has little intention of a broader peace without testing some of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s red lines.

Yesterday’s 90-minute call was the first time the two leaders have spoken since Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire proposal during talks with the US in Saudi Arabia last week. Putin has claimed he agrees with the idea of a ceasefire in principle, but the Kremlin said during the call with Mr Trump that he demanded any broader ceasefire would need to include stopping the mobilisation of Ukrainians and rearming of its armed forces, including halting Western military aid and intelligence support.

Ukraine relies on that military aid and intelligence to protect itself, while many European nations will also be uneasy about any suggestion of halting military aid deliveries at a time when the UK and the EU are seeking to get fresh support to Kyiv as soon as possible.