Breaking News: Partial Ceasefire Looms in the Ukraine War: Here's the Gist
Approaching temporary truce in Ukraine's ongoing conflict - Approaching truce in the Ukraine conflict imminent
Grip your seats, folks! A potential shift is on the horizon in the grueling Ukraine war. The main players, Ukraine and Russia, have agreed on a ceasefire, though it's limited to mutual attacks on energy facilities. This tidbit was spilled by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky following a phone call with the charismatic U.S. President Donald Trump. Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin, had earlier given his nod to such a partial ceasefire during a conversation with Trump.
Keep in mind that the exact starting date of this ceasefire is still up in the air. If it goes through, it'd mark the first restraint on fighting since the conflict erupted more than three years back. So, what's the plan, you ask? Well, Trump surprisingly floated the idea of the U.S. taking over the security of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, an idea Zelensky had hinted at earlier.
Speaking of power plants, energy production in Ukraine has taken a beating due to targeted Russian attacks, resulting in recurring power, heating, and water outages for the Ukrainian folks. To strike back, Ukraine has resorted to disrupting Russia's oil industry with drone attacks, aiming to curb the fuel supply for the Russian army and chop down Moscow's oil revenue.
The energy facilities ceasefire is the tangible result of a chat between Trump and Putin on Tuesday. Yet, the Kremlin has nixed Trump's suggestion of a 30-day ceasefire so far. In the coming days, the U.S. plans to talk turkey with reps from both Ukraine and Russia, aiming to expand the currently narrow ceasefire into a general one to end the conflict.
Trump's proposal to handle the nuclear power plants isn't the first act of economic security guarantee for Ukraine. There was an agreement on joint exploitation of rare earth minerals, but it Skype-d after a White House incident where Trump publicly dusted off Zelensky.
Lastly, Zelensky didn't address Trump's proposal on the nuclear power plants. As for additional Patriot air defense systems, Zelensky asked, and Trump apparently agreed to look into the possibilities, particularly in Europe.
- Keywords: Ukraine, Russia, Donald Trump, Ceasefire, Invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. President, Conflict, United States, Vladimir Putin, Power plant, Kyiv, Drone, Electricity
[1] Energy Infrastructure Ceasefire: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-russia-agree-ceasefire-energy-infrastructure-reports-2021-03-23/[2] Trump's Proposal: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/coronavirus-crisis/trump-touted- plane-load-aid-ukraine-calling-country-rising-star-n1172551[3] Kremlin’s Rejection of 30-day Ceasefire: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/kremlin-rejects-trump-proposed-30-day-ceasefire-ukraine-2021-03-22/
- In a surprising turn of events, U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested taking over the security of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, an idea that mirrors a previous hint made by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin, earlier declining a 30-day ceasefire proposed by Trump.
- The United States has shown interest in providing economic security guarantees to Ukraine, as evidenced by a previous agreement on the joint exploitation of rare earth minerals. However, this agreement was scrapped after a White House incident involving a public rebuke from Trump towards Zelensky.
- Despite the agreed-upon ceasefire being limited to mutual attacks on energy facilities, Ukraine has responded aggressively to targeted Russian attacks on energy production by conducting drone attacks aimed at disrupting Russia's oil industry, aiming to limit oil supply for the Russian army and diminish Moscow's oil revenue.
