German Minister Pistorius dismisses Trump-Putin call as a "washout"

Pistorius, speaking on Germany's ZDF-Morgenmagazin program, criticized the Trump-Putin call, as reported by Der Spiegel. He noted that Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure had not decreased despite what was touted as a significant conversation.

"Putin is playing a game here and I am sure that the American president will not be able to stand by for long," he said.

The Trump-Putin call on Tuesday did not lead to a full 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine war, as suggested by the Americans. However, Putin agreed to a halt in strikes on energy infrastructure, a move also accepted by Kyiv.

Pistorius also criticized the exclusion of Europe from the talks, calling it a "mistake" because "in the end, peace - if there is one - must also be secured on European soil." Meanwhile, Trump praised his conversation with Putin as "very good and productive" in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Trump-Putin call

On March 18, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin that lasted about two hours. According to both parties, they agreed on a limited stop in attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Moscow also demanded a suspension of mobilization in Ukraine and the rearmament of the Ukrainian Armed Forces during a potential ceasefire.

After the talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Kremlin leader had effectively rejected the proposal for a complete ceasefire.

On Sunday, March 23, representatives of the U.S. and Russia will hold negotiations in Saudi Arabia regarding the details of halting strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure in the Russian-Ukrainian war.