Trump's ceasefire push falters as Putin limits concessions
US President Donald Trump might feel disappointed after his conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, as he failed to persuade him to accept a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, assessed correspondent Frank Gardner on the BBC portal.
The American proposal included a 30-day cessation of military activities on land, sea, and air. Ukraine accepted this initiative during a meeting on 11 March in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
After the conversation with Trump, Putin agreed only to halt the shelling of Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days. In a statement issued by the Kremlin, it was noted that Putin had already given the appropriate order to the Russian army.
A BBC commentator suggested this decision might not be in Ukraine's military interest. Gardner noted that as Ukrainian ground forces withdrew from both the Kursk region and parts of the front line, long-range drone strikes were effectively hitting Russian oil facilities, disrupting military logistics. He predicted that these attacks would now have to stop.
In his opinion, attention will soon focus on the Middle East, where, as the White House announced, the next round of negotiations regarding the ceasefire in Ukraine will take place.