Russian President Vladimir Putin, notorious for keeping world leaders waiting, appeared in no rush to take a scheduled call with US President Donald Trump, opting instead to engage in a conference with industrialists and businessmen in Moscow.
The conference, which took place just before the crucial call between the two leaders, was held between 4 pm and 6 pm Russian time. However, as the scheduled call time approached, Putin showed no urgency in making his way to the Kremlin.
At around 4 pm, Alexander Shokhin, the event’s host, glanced at his watch and said that the call was set to take place before 6 pm. Putin, unbothered, responded with a quip, “Don’t listen to him! That’s his job.” Shokhin then added, “Now we need to see what Trump says about this.”
Putin, grinning, was reportedly referring to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who had initially announced the timing of the much-anticipated discussion. Eventually, Putin departed the conference and is said to have arrived at the Kremlin around 5 pm—an hour after the scheduled start time of the call.
Despite the delay, the high-stakes conversation went ahead, lasting for at least 90 minutes, with both leaders discussing a potential ceasefire deal in Ukraine. Trump, before the call, expressed optimism about convincing Putin to agree to a US-led 30-day ceasefire plan, which had already received approval from Kyiv.
The US president had also hinted at negotiations regarding what parts of occupied Ukraine Russia might be allowed to retain, stating that Washington and Moscow were discussing “dividing up certain assets.”
Following the conversation, the Kremlin announced that Putin had agreed to pause strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days. The White House, meanwhile, confirmed that both leaders backed an “energy and infrastructure ceasefire” as a possible first step towards ending the conflict.
Putin also reportedly expressed his willingness to work with the US on potential solutions to the war in Ukraine, though the Kremlin made clear that Moscow had laid out specific conditions for any lasting ceasefire.
While the Kremlin characterised the discussion as “detailed and frank.”
