Russia and Ukraine have taken another step toward ending the war with an agreement for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, the White House announced in two statements on Tuesday: One on the outcome of US talks with Ukraine, the other on talks with Russia. The White House said both sides had "agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea." Both countries confirmed that an agreement had been reached, but in a separate statement, the Kremlin said it would not come into force until a range of sanctions had been lifted, the New York Times reports.
The White appeared to agree to sanctions relief in its Russia statement, which said the US would help "restore Russia's access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions," reports the Washington Post. The statement on Ukraine said the US "remains committed to helping achieve the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children."
The deal appears to be a revival of the "grain deal" brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in 2022 to allow safe transit through Ukraine's Black Sea ports, the AP reports. Russia halted the deal in 2023, saying it did not protect its exports. Both statements, which followed days of talks in Saudi Arabia, also said the countries had "agreed to develop measures for implementing" a halt to strikes on energy facilities. The energy ceasefire was agreed last week but it has not yet been implemented and Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of continuing attacks on energy infrastructure, the Times reports. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
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