U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call on Tuesday that the peace in Ukraine "will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace", the White House said in a statement.
"These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East", said the statement, noting the two leaders agreed that the three-year Ukraine conflict needs to end with a lasting peace.
Trump and Putin also stressed the need for improved U.S.-Russia bilateral relations, said the statement.
President Putin "responded positively" to a proposal by President Trump for Russia and Ukraine to mutually stop striking energy infrastructures, the Kremlin's press service said Tuesday.
Putin "immediately gave the Russian military the appropriate command" in response to the proposal, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Regarding a 30-day ceasefire plan proposed by the United States and Ukraine, Russia noted concerns over effective control along the entire line of contact and the need to stop "forced mobilization" in Ukraine and its troop rearmament.
Russian and American expert groups are being created to continue efforts to "achieve a bilateral settlement in Ukraine," the Kremlin added.
Russia and Ukraine will each swap 175 prisoners captured in conflicts on Wednesday, the Kremlin said Tuesday, noting that Putin and Trump continued a "detailed and frank" exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine.
Trump, Putin agree Ukraine peace begins with "energy and infrastructure ceasefire"
Putin, Trump hold phone talk
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the situation in Iran is "under total control" following violence linked to protests that spiked over the weekend.
Addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran, the foreign minister noted that armed terrorist groups had infiltrated the protests, attempting to divert them from their legitimate course. He claimed that evidence has been gathered showing Iranian security forces being shot at, with the aim of causing further casualties. He accused the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.
Araghchi further stated that the government is closely monitoring developments on the streets, emphasizing that "the situation has come under control." He also affirmed that internet services, curtailed during the unrest, would be restored after coordination with security agencies.
The government has engaged in dialogue with merchants and protest representatives and initiated reforms to address grievances related to price hikes and currency depreciation. Iran has taken a series of actions and measures to respond to the demands of peaceful demonstrators, the foreign minister said.
Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said that clear evidence links recent riots and vandalism of public facilities in Iran to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. This came after former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Mossad agents operating on Iran's streets in a social media post. The Iranian foreign minister asserted that police are being attacked by "terrorists" acting under the direction of Israeli operatives, whom Pompeo publicly acknowledged.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and U.S. sanctions.
Iranian foreign minister says situation "fully under control," accuses Israeli intelligence of stoking unrest
