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Vladimir Putin has agreed to an immediate 30-day pause in strikes on energy infrastructure in Ukraine during a lengthy phone call with Donald Trump.

The Russian and US presidents spoke for around an hour and a half as the Trump administration aims to bring about an end to the conflict which started after Moscow’s forces carried out a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Mr Putin agreed to the limited ceasefire but stopped short of backing a broader 30-day pause in fighting that the White House is pushing for.

Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin. File pics: AP
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Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. File pics: AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the call that he supports the US proposal to stop Kyiv’s strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.

Mr Zelenskyy added that the hopes to speak to Mr Trump to find out “what the Russians offered the Americans or what the Americans offered the Russians” during his conversation with Mr Putin.

He also said that future talks about Ukraine without Kyiv at the table will not bring results.

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During talks led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Saudi Arabia last week, Ukrainian officials agreed to the US proposal for a 30-day pause in fighting.

However, Mr Putin said during his call with Mr Trump on Tuesday that any long-term deal would require a complete halt to intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine from its allies.

Mr Zelenskky said in an online briefing after the call that Ukraine’s partners would never agree to such a move and that he hopes supplies will continue.

He added that Moscow’s demand was simply an example of Mr Putin attempting to weaken Ukraine.

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What did Trump and Putin talk about?

Trump has moved dial closer to peace but Putin can continue ground war

The outcome of this call will allow both side to claim a win.

For President Trump, he can and will claim that he has secured a phased ceasefire – an air and sea ceasefire.

He will claim, correctly, that he has moved the dial closer to peace (at least in the short term) in this long conflict.

For President Putin, he has accepted a partial ceasefire (energy and infrastructure facilities will not be targeted) but he can still continue his war along the frontline.

He wants to do this because he believes he has the upper hand and can continue the battlefield conflict to push the frontline as far west as he can.

This is a war all about territory. Russia wants to have control of as much land as possible before it signs any full ceasefire plan.

US hopes call marks first step towards peace

The White House has said Mr Trump and Mr Putin agreed to a “movement to peace” it hopes will eventually include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and a full and lasting end to the fighting.

“These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East,” the White House added.

Mr Putin welcomed Mr Trump’s calls for the maritime ceasefire and “agreed to begin negotiations to further work out specific details of such an agreement”, according to the Kremlin.

Ukrainian officials had earlier proposed a ceasefire covering the Black Sea and long-range missile strikes and the release of prisoners at their meeting with the US delegation in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

Read more:
What Sky’s correspondents think about
Trump-Putin call
What would peace in Ukraine look like?

Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Pic: Reuters
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Pic: Reuters

Prisoner swaps and hockey matches

The Kremlin also said after the call that Russia and Ukraine will exchange 175 prisoners of war each on Wednesday.

Moscow added that it will also hand over 23 badly wounded soldiers to Ukraine.

Mr Zelenskyy responded by saying Russia could show it was serious about peace talks by freeing all prisoners.

Meanwhile, Moscow said in its recap of the call that Mr Trump supported an idea from Mr Putin to organise ice hockey matches in the US between professional players from America and Russia.

The White House’s account of the conversation did not mention hockey.

Shortly after the call, Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “We agreed to an immediate Ceasefire on all Energy and Infrastructure, with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible War between Russia and Ukraine.”

Mr Zelenskyy remains sceptical that Mr Putin is ready for peace as Russian forces continue to pound Ukraine.

Mr Putin last week said he agreed in principle with the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, but emphasised that Russia would seek guarantees that Ukraine would not use a break in hostilities to rearm and continue mobilisation.

He has also demanded that Ukraine renounce joining the NATO military alliance, sharply cut its army, and protect Russian language and culture to keep the country in Moscow’s orbit.

Fears Washington favours Moscow

The call between Mr Trump and Mr Putin is just the latest turn in a dramatically shifting relationship between the two superpowers.

Mr Trump made bringing about a quick end to the conflict a top priority when he took office in January – straining ties with allies who want Mr Putin to pay a price for the invasion.

Mr Trump, who has long shown admiration for Mr Putin, has blamed Ukraine for Russia’s unprovoked invasion.

European countries have continued to show support for Ukraine as Mr Trump has appeared to favour Moscow as he aims to secure an end to the war.

Mr Zelenskyy said he spoke to German leader Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron following Tuesday’s call between the US and Russian presidents.

Meanwhile, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “We welcome the progress President Trump has made towards a ceasefire and in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

“This process must lead to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes to ensure Russia can never launch an illegal invasion again.”

Shortly after the call, air raid alerts sounded in Kyiv which were followed by explosions in the city.

It comes after the AES Group private oil refinery was badly damaged after a shock Russian attack in the Kharkiv region on Monday.

The AES Group confirmed the destruction of the facility in Merefa after about 20 drones were launched at it.

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Mexican navy training vessel hits New York’s Brooklyn Bridge – as reports say three injured

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Mexican navy training vessel hits New York's Brooklyn Bridge - as reports say three injured

A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.

The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.

Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.

The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.

Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.

The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.

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The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.

A New York Police Department harbour unit prepares to board the Cuauhtemoc. Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.

It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.

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One person dead after explosion outside fertility clinic in California

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One person dead after explosion outside fertility clinic in California

One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.

The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.

The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.

Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.

The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.

“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”

Debris covers the ground after an explosion on Saturday, May 17, 2025 in Palm Springs, Calif.  (ABC7 Los Angeles via AP)
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Debris covers the ground after the explosion. Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP

In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”

It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.

“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.

The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.

“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.

Debris covers the ground after an explosion on Saturday, May 17, 2025 in Palm Springs, Calif.  (ABC7 Los Angeles via AP)
Image:
Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP

The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).

A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.

The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.

Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.

Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”

Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.

California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.

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James Comey: Trump says ex-FBI director’s seashells post ‘meant assassination’

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James Comey: Trump says ex-FBI director's seashells post 'meant assassination'

A former FBI director has been interviewed by the US Secret Service over a social media post that Republicans say was a call for violence against President Donald Trump.

James Comey, who led the FBI from 2013 until he was fired in 2017 by Mr Trump during his first term in office, shared a photo of seashells appearing to form the numbers “86 47”.

James Comey, then the FBI Director, in July  2016. File pic: AP/J. Scott Applewhite
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James Comey later removed the Instagram post. File pic: AP

He captioned the Instagram post: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”

Some have interpreted the post as a threat, alleging that 86 47 means to violently remove Mr Trump from office, including by assassination.

What does ’86 47′ mean?

The number 86 can be used as a verb in the US. It commonly means “to throw somebody out of a bar for being drunk or disorderly”.

One recent meaning of the term is “to kill”, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, which said it had not adopted this meaning of 86 “due to its relative recency and sparseness of use”.

The number has previously been used in a political context by Matt Gaetz, who was President Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general but withdrew from consideration following a series of sexual misconduct allegations.

Mr Gaetz wrote: “We’ve now 86’d…” and listed political opponents he had sparred with who ended up stepping down.

Meanwhile, 47 is supposedly representing Mr Trump, who is the 47th US president.

Mr Comey later removed the post, saying he thought the numbers “were a political message” and that he was not aware that the numeric arrangement could be associated with violence.

“I didn’t realise some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind, so I took the post down,” Mr Comey said.

Mr Trump rejected the former FBI director’s explanation, telling Fox News: “He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant… that meant assassination.”

Donald Trump Jr accused Mr Comey of “casually calling for my dad to be murdered”.

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed in a post on X that Mr Comey had been interviewed as part of “an ongoing investigation” but gave no indication of whether he might face further action.

The Secret Service is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich said Mr Comey had put out “what can clearly be interpreted as a hit on the sitting president of the United States”.

“This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously,” Mr Budowich wrote on X.

Another White House official James Blair said the post was a “Clarion Call (…) to terrorists & hostile regimes to kill the President of the United States as he travels in the Middle East”.

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Mr Trump fired Mr Comey in May 2017 for botching an investigation into 2016 democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the White House said at the time.

While Mr Comey was the director of the FBI, the agency opened an investigation into possible collusion between the Trump 2016 presidential campaign and Russia to help get Mr Trump elected.

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