In call with Trump, Putin agrees to halt strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure for 30 days

Nearly three weeks after a disastrous meeting with Ukraine's President Zelenskyy at the White House, Donald Trump Tuesday called his Russian counterpart in a fresh attempt to resolve the conflict.

The Russian president outlined "a number of significant points" regarding the 30-day ceasefire related to Kyiv's inability to negotiate, a statement by the Kremlin said.

It was emphasized that the key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict and working towards its resolution in a political and diplomatic way should be the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kiev.

Putin confirmed to Trump that Russia guarantees the lives and decent treatment of Ukrainian soldiers if they surrender in the Kursk Region.

The President of Russia also reacted constructively to the idea expressed by Donald Trump to implement a well-known initiative regarding the safety of navigation in the Black Sea. It is agreed to start negotiations for additional study of specific details of such an agreement.

He informed that on March 19, the Russian and Ukrainian sides will exchange prisoners - 175 to 175 people. In addition, 23 seriously wounded Ukrainian servicemen who are being treated in Russian medical institutions will be transferred as a gesture of goodwill.

The leaders confirmed their intention to continue efforts to achieve a bilateral settlement in Ukraine, including taking into account the above-mentioned proposals of the President of the United States.

For this purpose, Russian and American expert groups are created.

Ukraine had already agreed to a US proposal for a 30-day general ceasefire with Russia, with the United States in turn promising to lift restrictions on military aid and intelligence sharing, a joint statement by the two sides said.

Putin and Trump also touched on other issues of the international agenda, including the situation in the Middle East and the Red Sea region.

Joint efforts will be made to stabilize the situation at crisis points, establish cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation and global security issues. This, in turn, will contribute to the improvement of the general atmosphere of Russian-American relations, the statement said.

Mutual interest in the normalization of bilateral relations in light of the special responsibility of Russia and the United States for ensuring security and stability in the world was expressed.In this context, a wide range of areas in which our countries could establish cooperation was considered.

Donald Trump supported Vladimir Putin's idea of organizing hockey matches in the United States and Russia between Russian and American players playing in the NHL and KHL.

The presidents agreed to stay in touch on all issues raised.