19-3-2025 (MOSCOW) US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded a substantial two-hour telephone conversation—their first documented communication since Saudi Arabia presented a ceasefire proposition. The dialogue, whilst initially framed as productive by officials from both nations, featured an apparent Russian commitment to a 30-day moratorium on Ukrainian energy infrastructure attacks, alongside plans to establish negotiation teams for broader conflict resolution.
The fragile veneer of diplomacy shattered mere hours after the call concluded. Slovyansk, a significant urban centre in Ukraine’s Donetsk region with approximately 100,000 inhabitants, suffered a Russian airstrike scarcely 60 minutes following the presidential exchange. Local authorities confirmed consequent power disruptions across portions of the city, whilst Kramatorsk simultaneously endured guided aerial bombardment of residential districts.
Military correspondent Bohdan Miroshnykov identified the Slovyansk strike as a calculated assault specifically targeting energy facilities—a development that cast immediate doubt upon the authenticity of Russia’s ceasefire intentions. This jarring contradiction between diplomatic rhetoric and military action highlighted the profound challenges confronting any meaningful de-escalation efforts.
The White House maintained that the presidential conversation had indeed included arrangements for a month-long cessation of attacks on energy infrastructure, characterising this as a potential pathway towards an enduring peace settlement. Putin, however, reportedly attached stringent prerequisites to any agreement, demanding the termination of foreign intelligence sharing networks and international military assistance to Ukraine.
Despite Trump’s administration imposing sanctions and tariffs—measures which seemingly prompted Russia’s reluctant engagement with the American peace proposal—the relationship between diplomatic manoeuvres and battlefield reality remained tenuous at best. Prior to the conversation, Trump acknowledged mixed progress on various elements of a comprehensive agreement, noting that whilst certain components had reached resolution, substantial obstacles persisted.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov offered a cautiously worded assessment, referencing a “certain understanding” between the two leaders regarding Ukraine, whilst conceding significant uncertainties surrounding bilateral relations. The diplomatic choreography was further complicated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s pointed critique, accusing Putin of deliberately prolonging the conflict and warning that Russian territorial ambitions would extend beyond Ukrainian borders should Moscow retain control over seized regions.
Zelensky’s statement pointedly highlighted that Russia’s conditions for temporary truce included not only the suspension of Western assistance to Kyiv but also the cessation of Ukraine’s military rearmament programme—terms that would effectively compromise Ukrainian sovereignty and security.
