Sri Lanka, March 19 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Tuesday to stop attacking Ukrainian energy facilities temporarily but declined to endorse a full 30-day ceasefire that President Donald Trump hoped would be the first step toward a permanent peace deal.

Ukraine said it would support the scaled-back agreement, which would require both countries to hold off firing on each other's energy infrastructure for about a month. Experts said Putin avoided making significant concessions in what could be a play for time as Russian troops advance in eastern Ukraine.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Hiru News....