For decades, Donald Trump has claimed to have mastered the art of the "deal." At the end of his long-awaited meeting with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, March 18, there are doubts about his strategy, results and intentions. Admittedly, the Russian president did not dismissively rebuff his American counterpart, who was convinced he could secure an immediate ceasefire in the conflict in Ukraine. But he was content to validate a very reduced, minimal version, committing him to nothing for the future: a ceasefire limited to energy infrastructures, even as winter is drawing to a close. On the ground, nothing has changed for the moment: Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of air strikes on Tuesday night. Russia fired six missiles and 145 drones, according to the Ukrainian army. The Russian air defense forces, for their part, announced that they had shot down 57 drones which, in the south, had targeted an oil depot.

The White House statement after the call, which, unlike Moscow, did not mention a 30-day period, said the agreement also covers sensitive infrastructure. But the Kremlin has no intention of doing so. An extension of the ceasefire to the Black Sea will be the subject of technical discussions, probably in Saudi Arabia.

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