Russia and Ukraine have agreed to stop naval attacks in the Black Sea after separate deals with the United States (US).
The agreement comes after three days of peace talks in Saudi Arabia. The US said all sides would keep working toward a lasting peace, and the deal would reopen an important trade route.
Both countries also agreed to work on enforcing a previous ban on attacking each other’s energy infrastructure, according to the White House.
Demands of Russia
However, Russia said the ceasefire would only begin once certain sanctions on its food and fertiliser trade were lifted. Moscow wants its banks reconnected to the SwiftPay system and restrictions removed on Russian-flagged ships involved in food trade. It is also demanding the removal of limits on agricultural machinery imports.
The US has been meeting separately with Russian and Ukrainian officials in Riyadh to negotiate a truce. However, the two countries have not held direct talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the agreement a positive step but said it was too early to know if it would hold. “These were the right meetings and the right decisions,” he said in Kyiv. He also pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s past claims that Ukraine was blocking peace efforts.
While this deal is a step toward peace, its success depends on whether Russia’s conditions on sanctions are met and whether both sides stick to their commitments.
