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Russia and Ukraine agree to Black Sea ceasefire after US-Saudi talks.
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea following US-Saudi negotiations. The deal includes securing navigation and easing certain sanctions on Moscow, raising concerns in Kyiv and among European allies.
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Just a few minutes ago, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea following talks between US representatives and Saudi authorities.
“The United States and Russia have agreed to guarantee the safety of navigation, eliminate the use of force and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea,” the White House stated following the talks in Jeddah.
The news emerged when Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Rustem Umerov, confirmed that “all parties have agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.”
However, Umerov also warned that any movement by Russia to deploy military vessels outside the eastern part of the Black Sea would constitute a violation of this agreement and a threat to Ukraine’s national security.
This is a pivotal moment. For the first time in over three years, Washington has shown a willingness to ease certain sanctions on Moscow, signalling a possible shift in its stance towards Russia. These actions have raised concern in Kyiv and among European allies, as they could be interpreted as a sign of rapprochement between the United States and Russia.
However, some fear that Moscow could take advantage of this easing of restrictions, particularly concerning another of the Kremlin’s demands: the lifting of restrictions on the supply of agricultural machinery to Russia.
The Kremlin has specified that the Black Sea agreements will not be activated unless certain Russian banks are reinstated in the international financial system. They have also indicated that a maritime ceasefire would only come into effect if sanctions on Russian agricultural and fertiliser exports are eased.
It is important to note that Russian food and fertilisers have always been exempt from Western sanctions, but exports have been affected by the exclusion of Russian banks from the global SWIFT payment system.
The warring parties also agreed to implement a 30-day suspension of attacks on energy networks and to extend its scope. However, this resolution, like other key points of the agreement, remains under negotiation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy responded to these developments by stating that claims about the easing of sanctions are false and that lifting sanctions is not required for the implementation of these agreements.
Zelenskiy welcomed progress towards a ceasefire but stated that Kyiv does not support the relaxation of sanctions against Russia. He also expressed concern about the talks that the United States appears to be holding with the Kremlin regarding Ukraine’s future.
“We are concerned that they are talking about us without us,” Zelenskiy said at a press conference, in response to Donald Trump’s comments about the negotiations.
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