The statement from the White House on Trump's call with #Putin suggests that #Trump has backed down on his demand for an immediate ground, air and sea truce.
Instead, Putin has agreed to halt long-range missile strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
This was, in fact, a #Ukrainian proposal that the Americans side-stepped a week ago.
Trump and Putin also appear to have agreed to immediate technical-level talks toward a longer-term settlement. The #Kremlin said this must be "complex, stable and long-term in nature".
However, it's not clear if this means further talks between the US and Russia or bilateral negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
But, crucially, Putin has placed a major condition on this - one that is existential for Ukraine.
The Kremlin statement reads that a key stipulation for "preventing the escalation of the conflict and working toward its resolution" should be "the complete cessation of foreign military aid and sharing intelligence with Kyiv".
Putin has already tasted Trump's readiness to cut off US support to Ukraine, and is trying to get him to repeat it - while tossing the ball back to Kyiv to agree to a far more limited truce than Trump had demanded they sign up to.
#USPol #TraitorTrump #PutinsPuppet #auspol
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c3e4xzd8qq8t