Putin agrees to halt strikes on Ukraine energy facility

MOSCOW, Mar 19 (Reuters): Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Tuesday to US President Donald Trump's proposal for a month-long halt to strikes against energy infrastructure in Ukraine, a limited ceasefire that Kyiv quickly said it would be willing to consider.

But Moscow stopped short of giving the United States the full 30-day cessation of hostilities it had sought, and experts say Putin could be playing for time as Russian troops advance in eastern Ukraine.

Talks aimed at advancing toward a broader peace plan will begin immediately, the White House said following a lengthy call between the two leaders, but it was unclear whether Ukraine will be involved.

Putin ordered the Russian military to stop attacks against energy sites after speaking with Trump, the Kremlin said in a statement. But he again raised concerns during the call that a temporary ceasefire might allow Ukraine to mobilise more soldiers and rearm itself.

Putin also emphasized that any resolution of the conflict would require an end to all military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, the Kremlin added.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country would consider supporting the US proposal to stop strikes on energy infrastructure.

"I think it will be right that we will have a conversation with President Trump and we will know in detail what the Russians offered the Americans or what the Americans offered the Russians," Zelensky told reporters during an online briefing.

Russian forces are advancing in Ukraine's east and pushing back Ukrainian troops from Russia's Kursk region.

Negotiations on a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, as well as a more complete ceasefire and a permanent peace deal, will commence immediately in the Middle East, the White House said in a statement, though it did not say whether Ukraine would be invited.

Since Russia's 2022 invasion, Ukraine has tried to fight back against its much larger neighbor with drone and missile strikes deep in Russian territory, including on energy facilities. Those attacks, which Moscow says amount to terrorism, have allowed Kyiv to keep pressure on Russia's economy.

In a social media post after the call, Trump said he and Putin had agreed to work quickly toward a ceasefire and eventually a permanent peace agreement.

"Many elements of a Contract for Peace were discussed, including the fact that thousands of soldiers are being killed, and both President Putin and President Zelensky would like to see it end," he wrote, using an alternate spelling for the Ukrainian leader.

Ukraine said on Mar 11 it was prepared to accept a 30-day ceasefire, a step that US officials said would lead to a more substantial round of negotiations to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two. The war has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions and reduced entire towns to rubble.