The United States has announced that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea, aiming to ensure safe navigation and reduce hostilities in the region.
The agreement includes measures to eliminate the use of force, prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes and ban strikes against energy facilities.
In exchange, the U.S. will help lift the international sanctions against Russia in agricultural products and fertilizers.
The New York Times reports:
The agreements came after three days of intense negotiations in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, during which delegations from Ukraine and Russia met separately with U.S. mediators. Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s defense minister, confirmed the agreements in a message posted on social media. There was no immediate reaction from Russia.
The White House released two different statements saying it had separately struck deals with Ukraine and Russia on the maritime and energy attacks. The statements added that Washington, Kyiv and Moscow welcomed the involvement of third countries in “supporting the implementation of the energy and maritime agreements.”
It was not immediately clear how and when the energy and maritime agreement would be implemented. Mr. Umerov, who led his country’s delegation in Riyadh, said “additional technical consultations” would have to be held as soon as possible for “the implementation, monitoring and control of the arrangements.”
Both Russia and Ukraine rely on the Black Sea for commodity exports. In mid-2022, they brokered a deal allowing Ukraine to ship grain through the sea, but Russia withdrew from the agreement a year later, arguing that Western sanctions were severely limiting its ability to export agricultural products.
While this development is a positive step toward de-escalation, substantial progress toward ending the broader conflict remains elusive, with continued military actions reported in Ukraine today.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes Putin to break the agreement.