'Don't negotiate without Ukraine', Zelenskyy says after Putin and Trump agree partial ceasefire in landmark phone call

By Jacob Paul

Russia's proposals for peace in Ukraine show Vladimir Putin is not 'serious' about ending the war, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, as he warned no agreement can be reached without Kyiv at the negotiating table.

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Key points

• Kremlin demands complete halt of US military aid to Kyiv
• White House says ‘movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire’ lasting 30 days
• Russia and Ukraine ‘to exchange prisoners’
• Zelenskyy says Putin's proposals shows he is 'not ready' for lasting peace

The Ukrainian President said he supports the 30-day pause to strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure agreed by the Russian leader and US President Donald Trump following a historic call between the pair.

But Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine, which was not involved in the 90-minute phone call, needs full transparency before any official agreement is reached.

He told reporters on Tuesday: “We need to understand what the conversation is about. What are the details? And hopefully, we will be fully informed, and our partners will discuss everything with us.”

The Ukrainian leader added: “There are two sides in this war — Russia and Ukraine. Trying to negotiate without Ukraine, in my view, will not be productive.”

Mr Zelenskyy also said he did not believe Ukraine’s allies would stop providing military aid, one of the key conditions Moscow said was needed for a peace deal.

He added that Moscow is seeking to “weaken” Ukraine by attempting to stop the flow of weapons and intelligence, arguing Putin's proposal shows he is not “ready” to end the war.

The Kremlin rejected an immediate ceasefire but lay out the the key terms it wants to see before ending the fighting.

In a statement, it described the talks with President Trump as a "frank exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine."

Its readout of the call states: "Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude to Donald Trump for his desire to help achieve the noble goal of ending hostilities and human losses."

It adds: "In the context of the US President's initiative to introduce a 30-day truce, the Russian side outlined a number of significant points regarding ensuring effective control over a possible ceasefire along the entire line of combat contact, the need to stop forced mobilisation in Ukraine and rearm the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"Serious risks associated with the inability to negotiate of the Kyiv regime, which has repeatedly sabotaged and violted the agreements reached, were also noted. Attention was drawn to the barbaric terrorist crimes committed by Ukrainian militants against the civilian population of the Kursk region.

"It was emphasised that the key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict and working towards its resolution by political and diplomatic means should be the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv."

Read more: Trump-Putin talks ‘going well’ as world leaders locked in call on Ukraine war for over an hour

Read more: US ‘could recognise Crimea as Russian in peace deal’ as Trump to hold ceasefire talks with Putin

Russia and Ukraine will also exchange 175 prisoners each on Wednesday, according to Russian state media reports citing the Kremlin.

The Kremlin also said the “23 seriously wounded Ukrainian servicemen who are being treated in Russian medical institutions will be transferred”.

The White House said that move towards "lasting peace" will begin with Russia halting to strike to Ukraine energy targets.

It said following the call: "Both leaders agreed this conflict needs to end with a lasting peace.

"The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace."

These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East, it added.

The White House continued: “The two leaders agreed that a future with an improved bilateral relationship between the United States and Russia has huge upside. This includes enormous economic deals and geopolitical stability when peace has been achieved.”

It added that Putin and Mr Trump view "the Middle East as a region of potential co-operation to prevent future conflicts".

Earlier today, President Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev described the call as "epic" and "historic".

“Under the leadership of President Putin and President Trump, the world has become a much safer place today!” he wrote on X.

In preparation for the Trump-Putin call, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff last week met Mr Putin in Moscow to discuss the proposal.

Secretary of state Marco Rubio had persuaded senior Ukrainian officials during talks in Saudi Arabia to agree to the ceasefire framework.

The US president said Washington and Moscow have already begun discussing "dividing up certain assets" between Ukraine and Russia as part of a deal to end the conflict.

The Kremlin had previously rejected calls for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, with Sir Keir Starmer accusing Putin of “delaying” peace, while French president Emmanuel Macron has said the Russian president "does not seem to be sincerely seeking peace.”

Despite this failure to agree a deal, the White House has insisted Putin is making "a constructive effort" and that the upcoming call with Trump showed there was "positive momentum".

Mr Trump on Monday said Ukraine is not in a strong negotiating position, the same claim he made during his infamous bust up with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.

The US President said Russian forces have "surrounded" Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region, amplifying an assertion made by Russian officials that has been disputed by Mr Zelenskyy.

Ukraine's army stunned Russia in August last year by attacking across the border and taking control of an estimated 500 square miles of land.

But Ukraine's forces are now in retreat and it has all but lost a valuable bargaining chip, as momentum builds for a ceasefire with Russia.

Mr Zelensky has acknowledged that the Ukrainians are on the back foot while disputing Russian claims that his troops are encircled in Kursk.

Mr Trump suggested that he has taken unspecified action that has kept Russia from slaughtering Ukrainian troops in Kursk.

"They're surrounded by Russian soldiers, and I believe if it wasn't for me they wouldn't be here any longer," Mr Trump said.