US and Ukraine announce Black Sea truce, contingent on Kremlin’s sanctions relief conditions.

In Short

The US announced a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, contingent on Russia lifting certain sanctions.

Both sides have committed to observing the truce, yet achieving a complete ceasefire remains uncertain, with potential future concessions from Russia.

The United States announced that Russia and Ukraine have reached a ceasefire agreement in the Black Sea, conditioned on the removal of specific sanctions by the Kremlin.

The agreement emerged from three days of technical talks in Saudi Arabia, focusing on ensuring safe navigation in the Black Sea and preventing military use of commercial shipping. The US pledged assistance in restoring Russian access to global agricultural markets and reducing maritime insurance costs.

President Donald Trump noted that conditions from the Kremlin would be considered, particularly regarding sanctions on banks involved in agricultural exports. The truce would take effect upon lifting restrictions on the Russian Agricultural Bank and others, tying them to the SWIFT international payment system.

Ukrainian forces

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced an immediate observance of the truce by Ukrainian forces. The two sides also agreed on mechanisms to enforce a ban on attacks against energy infrastructure, effective for 30 days.

While the talks advanced some agreements, achieving a full ceasefire remains challenging, as Russia may seek to extract further concessions from the US.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov expressed confidence in US support for compliance with the agreements. However, full ceasefire timelines proposed by the Trump administration appear overly ambitious to some officials.

Zelenskiy confirmed Ukraine’s commitment to a full ceasefire, highlighting the contrast between Ukraine’s intentions and Russia’s position.