- Russia and Ukraine Agree to Maritime and Energy Ceasefire, But Disagreements Remain.
- Ukraine and Russia Strike Truce with U.S. Mediation, Kremlin Demands Sanctions Relief.
- Trump’s First Major Move on Ukraine War: Brokered Truce Raises Hopes and Doubts.
The United States brokered a series of separate deals on Tuesday with Russia and Ukraine, resulting in a temporary cessation of attacks on the sea and on energy installations. Under the agreement, Washington also committed to pushing to remove some sanctions on Russia, reports Reuters.
Historic Maritime and Energy Truce
Although information on the enforcement of the Black Sea maritime security agreements is still unclear, these commitments are the first official understandings between the two belligerent countries since President Donald Trump took office. Trump has been trying to bring an end to the war in Ukraine and enhance ties with Moscow—actions that have sparked worry in Kyiv as well as within European allies.
The U.S. deal with Russia goes beyond the Ukraine agreement, as Washington committed to pushing for the removal of international sanctions on Russian agriculture and fertilizer exports, a long-term Russian request.
Kremlin’s Conditions and Ukraine’s Reaction
After the U.S. statement, the Kremlin said the Black Sea agreements would only become effective if some Russian banks could return to the international financial system. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pushed back against this argument, saying the agreements do not need sanctions relief to be implemented and should go into effect immediately. He accused Moscow of trying to “manipulate” the agreements. Both Kyiv and Moscow said they would depend on Washington to enforce the agreements, although each side questioned the other’s commitment to honouring the truce.
“We will need clear guarantees,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “And given the sad experience of agreements with just Kyiv, the guarantees can only be the result of an order from Washington to Zelenskiy and his team to do one thing and not the other.” Zelenskiy, on the other hand, warned that any Russian violations would prompt him to request additional U.S. sanctions against Moscow and more weapons for Ukraine. “We have no faith in the Russians, but we will be constructive,” he said.
Continued Attacks and Trump’s Point of View
Even with the agreements, Russia and Ukraine accused one another of making drone attacks shortly after the statements. Nevertheless, no immediate reports of strikes against the Black Sea or energy facilities were available. Trump, speaking in an interview with Newsmax, admitted that Russia could be dragging the peace process.
“I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they’re dragging their feet. I’ve done it over the years,” he said.
Wider Ceasefire Options
The agreements were negotiated following simultaneous talks in Saudi Arabia after Trump made individual phone calls last week with Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. If agreed, the deals would represent a turning point towards Trump’s larger objective of achieving a wider ceasefire in Ukraine, a war that started with Russia’s all-out invasion three years ago. Putin, however, shot down Trump’s offer for a 30-day all-out ceasefire, a proposal already accepted by Ukraine.
“We are making a lot of progress,” Trump told reporters. However, he acknowledged the difficulty of the negotiations, stating there was “tremendous animosity” between the sides. “There’s a lot of hatred, as you can probably tell, and it allows for people to get together, mediate, arbitrate, and see if we can get it stopped. And I think it will work.” Meanwhile, Washington has softened its stance toward Russia in recent days. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, remarked that he did not “regard Putin as a bad guy,” a statement that has alarmed European officials who consider the Russian leader a serious threat. Lavrov criticized Witkoff’s optimism about a potential truce, arguing that European allies of Kyiv would resist any concessions. “He (Witkoff) significantly overestimates the elites of European countries, who want to ‘hang like a stone around the neck’ of Zelenskiy, so as not to allow him to ‘give in’,” Lavrov said.
Fears Of Rushed Pact
Ukraine and its friends in Europe are concerned that Trump may sign an agreement with Putin at the expense of their security and make concessions to Russia’s demands, including dropping Kyiv’s plans to join NATO and giving up occupied territories.
Halt Assaults on Energy Infrastructure
The Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday that Russia and the U.S. had agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure in both Russia and Ukraine for 30 days, starting from March 18, when Putin and Trump initially discussed the proposal. Moscow indicated its willingness to extend the truce further. Ukraine had previously stated that it would only agree to such a pause after a formal agreement was reached.
The two countries have struck one another’s energy infrastructure as a component of their war plans. Russia has launched widespread bombardments of Ukraine’s power system through missiles and drones, with Kyiv firing long-range missiles against Russian oil and gas installations. These actions have been vital in weakening each other’s warfare efforts.
Effect on Black Sea Security
The Black Sea maritime security deals are intended to settle a critical area of contention from the war’s early weeks when Russia imposed a de facto naval blockade on Ukraine. The blockade had further fueled the world food crisis by interfering with Ukraine’s grain exports. Though naval battles have taken a back seat in recent months—especially since Russia pulled its naval units from the eastern Black Sea after Ukrainian forces successfully attacked them—Kyiv’s ports have continued to be exposed to Russian air attacks.
Zelenskiy said the new accord would ban such attacks. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov meanwhile warned that any unauthorized Russian military vessel movement beyond the eastern Black Sea would be regarded as a breach, allowing Ukraine to exercise its full right to respond.
Russia’s Request for Sanctions Relief
Moscow has demanded that the deal provide for the revival of connections between Russia’s export bank for agriculture and the SWIFT international payment system, in addition to other sanctions relief actions. Such actions would, however, need European countries’ assent, providing another dimension of complexity to the agreement.
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Source: Reuters
