US sees progress on air truce in Ukraine after Trump-Putin talks
Photo: US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (Getty Images)
The White House confirms progress in the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. It is noted that it started after a conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, informs CBS News, citing US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
A journalist pointed out that Ukraine had accepted the US-brokered ceasefire without preconditions, according to the announcement. Meanwhile, Russia claimed it would restrict its operations to targeting energy infrastructure. She asked about the goal of the upcoming negotiations in Saudi Arabia.
Waltz responded that they were closer to peace in Ukraine than ever before. According to him, it all started when President Trump held calls with the leaders of both countries. After that, he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio engaged both Russians and Ukrainians in negotiations at their level.
"Now we have technical teams, with Ukrainians and Russians actually in the same facility, conducting proximity talks. And the progression will be that we will have this cease-fire on aerial infrastructure. That went into place immediately after President Trump's call with President Putin this week," the White House advisor stated.
He noted that the next step would be discussing a ceasefire in the Black Sea. This would allow both sides to transport grain and fuel and resume regional trade. After that, talks would move on to the line of control, representing the actual front lines.
"That gets into the details of verification mechanisms, peacekeeping, and freezing the lines where they are. And then, of course, the broader and permanent peace, which will be some type of discussion of territory for permanent peace," Waltz concluded.
During a meeting with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, the US proposed a 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine agreed.
Additionally, during his conversation with Trump, the Russian president reportedly "gave the order" for Russian forces to stop attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
However, despite this, Russian forces have continued launching long-range kamikaze drones at Ukraine for several consecutive days.
On the night of March 20, the Kirovohrad region and Kropyvnytskyi came under attack. According to RBC-Ukraine, ten people were injured in Kropyvnytskyi, including children.
The following night, on March 21, Russia launched 214 attack drones against Ukraine. The attack occurred in Odesa, Khmelnytskyi, Sumy, and Kyiv regions.
On the night of March 22, Russia attacked Ukraine with 179 drones, launching them from multiple directions.
Additionally, on the night of March 23, Russian forces launched nearly 150 drones from five different directions. RBC-Ukraine reported that military officials highlighted a particular feature of this attack.
