Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to halt attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure for 30 days
00:06The proposal was put forward by US President Donald Trump during what was described as a frank call between the two sides
00:14The lengthy phone discussion also saw the leaders agree that war needed to end with a lasting peace the White House adding the
00:22Negotiations aimed at achieving just that will begin immediately in the Middle East
00:27Ukraine has already agreed to a 30-day truce that would end long-range missile attacks from the air and sea
00:34Moscow has still not backed that proposal. Well, let's speak to France 24's Catherine Norris Trent who joins us live now from Odessa
00:42Catherine good to have you just bring us up to speed with what the two leaders had to say
00:49Good evening Yinka
00:51Yet Vladimir Putin in a long phone call with Donald Trump
00:57Has agreed to a 30-day
01:00Cessation in striking energy infrastructure. Now the Russian media the Kremlin has put out that
01:07Vladimir Putin has already given that order to the Russian military
01:11But it does stop short of a full ceasefire full and unconditional ceasefire
01:16Which Volodymyr Zelensky the Ukrainian president has already agreed to and which the White House
01:23It's believed was hoping to try and get from Vladimir Putin. Nonetheless Putin agreed to continue
01:30Negotiations the two presidents also agreed on a prisoner exchange, which is due to take place tomorrow on the 19th of March
01:39175 prisoners including 23 severely wounded Ukrainians are due to be handed over and they're due also to start negotiating a
01:48Cessation of hostilities and the maritime route in the Black Sea
01:51You know that very crucial route from here in Odessa where we've seen of course in previous years much
01:57Negotiations about getting grain exports out of the country vital to Russia's economy
02:02so it seems like even though it's been hailed as epic and historic by Russia and also did by
02:09President Donald Trump that it's the first step in negotiations
02:14We also hearing that they want to work towards a ceasefire which would freeze the combat along the current
02:21Contact line and this is where things could get extremely tricky because going into these negotiations
02:26The Ukrainian president's chief of staff had said that Ukraine would in no way
02:33concede on
02:35Recognizing the areas that Russia has seized in Ukraine as Russian territory
02:39So this was clearly a very long phone call two hours if you listen to the Kremlin 90 minutes according to the White House
02:46And it was the first time the American spoke president had spoken to Vladimir Putin at this time in his presidency
02:53So significant indeed
02:54But if you look down in the detail
02:56It wasn't as much as the Americans had been pushing for and it wasn't as much as the Lenski has already signed up for
03:03And of course the Ukrainians would have obviously been hoping for a lot to come out of that call
03:08Just tell us about how Ukrainians have been reacting to the call between Trump and Putin today
03:16So we're monitoring the situation closely so for no official reaction from
03:21Vladimir Zelensky who is in Finland for talks there on Tuesday with officials there about
03:28Beefing up their defenses and how they can further cooperate together
03:32Officials here I think still pouring through the details of what's been put out by both the White House and the Kremlin
03:38You know we spoke to Ukrainian people on arrival in Ukraine about their expectations
03:45For these peace talks obviously people here with a lot of fear
03:49anticipation
03:51Concerns about what the future will hold this is obviously an existential question for their country and of course as you'd expect
03:58Opinions are divided in public at least we spoke to one military official who said he thought it was a mistake in fact to
04:06conclude
04:07to agree to an
04:09Unconditional ceasefire and that he thought Ukraine should carry on fighting with or without
04:15American help however realistic that may be but other people you speak to a clearly very war weary and just want the fighting and
04:22the the the death toll to stop rising basically because
04:27Ukrainians have been at full-scale war since this invasion for more than three years now and so perhaps the very taboo issue of
04:35Compromising on seeding some territory even if it's never officially recognized is
04:40Something that is in some Ukrainians minds and that remains highly controversial of course and something that's very
04:46Politically difficult to admit, but there are there are different reactions around the country of course
04:52Ukraine having a bit of a manpower crisis
04:55Trying to mobilize troops to get to the front line and reliant on foreign aid
05:01Constantly calling for more, so you know we'll see where this ceasefire this cessation
05:07Initial cessation could leave whether there are further talks
05:10But you know mixed expectations doubts here in Ukraine over the sincerity of the the phone call that was held today as well
05:17Catherine great to get that update from you. Thank you so much for that Catherine Norris Trent reporting there live from Odessa
05:23well France 24's