Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said of a potential ceasefire: “I really want there to be control. But I believe that the main agent of this control should be the United States.” Photo: Reuters

Moscow and Kyiv accused each other on March 19 of launching air attacks that damaged infrastructure just hours after their leaders agreed to a limited ceasefire to halt attacks on energy infrastructure.

Mr Zelensky, in a joint briefing in Helsinki with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, said Mr Putin’s words were not enough and that Ukraine would provide a list of energy facilities it hopes the US and allies would help monitor.

“I really want there to be control. But I believe that the main agent of this control should be the United States of America,” he said, adding that Kyiv would be ready to commit to a ceasefire.

“If the Russians will not strike our facilities, then we will definitely not strike theirs.”

The Kremlin said on March 19 that Russia had suspended its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure after a phone call between Mr Putin and Mr Trump and had shot down its own Ukraine-bound drones while they were in the air.

In the call on March 18, Mr Putin agreed to stop attacking Ukrainian energy facilities temporarily but declined to endorse a full 30-day ceasefire that Trump hoped would be the first step toward a permanent peace deal.

However, Ukrainian officials said on March 19 that Russian drones had damaged two hospitals in the northeastern Sumy region and railway infrastructure in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region.

Mr Zelensky said the attack, which the air force said involved 145 drones, showed “Putin’s words are very different from reality” and called for sustained Western military aid to Ukraine.

Ukraine said it destroyed 72 drones while Russia said its air-defence units had downed 57 Ukrainian drones, but did not reveal how many were launched. Moscow said Ukraine hit an oil pumping station in southern Russia.

Right direction

Mr Zelensky’s call with Mr Trump would be the first known direct contact between the two since their White House clash in February threatened ties between Kyiv and its biggest military backer.

The Ukrainian leader said he would seek more details about Mr Trump’s call with Mr Putin, and that Ukraine was preparing for a new round of talks with US officials on technical elements of a partial ceasefire.

Mr Stubb said the phone call between Mr Trump and Mr Putin was a step in the right direction but that Russia should face pressure if it did not unconditionally accept the ceasefire.

“If Russia refuses to agree, we need to increase our efforts to strengthen Ukraine and ratchet up pressure on Russia to convince it to come to the negotiating table,” he said.