Russia and Ukraine have agreed to stop attacking ships in the Black Sea after intense negotiations with the US in Saudi Arabia.
It is not the full ceasefire Donald Trump is continuing to push for three years into Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but the move is seen as progress by the White House.
A US delegation held separate talks with counterparts from Russia and Ukraine over three days into Tuesday.
The talks with Kyiv came on either side of a marathon 12-hour discussion with Kremlin representatives on Monday, which was described by a Russian official as “challenging” but “useful”.
The White House has released details on the agreement, which is similar to a 2022 deal to allow safe transit on the Black Sea that was halted in 2023.
But how long the current deal will hold – and even when it officially begins – remains uncertain after Russia carried out drone strikes on a key Ukrainian port city overnight.
This is what we know about the deal.
What is the deal?
The White House said both countries agreed to several key measures following the talks in Riyadh.
Russia and Ukraine agreed to:
- Cease using force and allow the safe navigation of ships in the Black Sea.
- Develop measures for implementing the agreement to ban strikes on energy facilities.
- Work with mediating countries to implement the agreements.
- Work towards a lasting peace.
As part of the agreement, the US also said it would help restore Russia’s access to global agricultural and fertiliser markets – which have been hit by sanctions over the war, help lower maritime insurance costs and improve access to ports and international payment systems.
For Ukraine, the US said it remained committed to helping facilitate prisoners of war exchanges as well as the release of civilian detainees, and help “the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children”.
What has Russia said?
Russia says the deal cannot begin until its conditions are met for restored access to global trade markets and payment systems.
“As for the Black Sea grain initiative, it can be activated after a number of conditions are implemented,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Russia’s foreign minister also said the US will need to enforce the new deal allowing cargo ships to pass through the Black Sea.
“We will need clear guarantees,” Sergei Lavrov told the Russian state Channel One television.
“And given the sad experience of agreements with just Kyiv, the guarantees can only be the result of an order from Washington to Zelensky and his team to do one thing and not the other.
“We want the grain and fertiliser market to be predictable, so that no one tries to ‘ward us off’ from it.”
What has Zelensky said?
Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would uphold the agreement immediately, and accused Russia of “manipulation” for saying it would only start the ceasefire after its conditions were met.
“They are already trying to distort agreements and, in fact, deceive both our intermediaries and the entire world,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address on Tuesday.
Later, after Russia carried out drone strikes overnight which hit the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv, the Ukrainian President said the attacks were proof that Russia did not want peace.
“Last night, there were another 117 proofs in our skies of how Russia continues to drag out this war – 117 strike drones, most of them Shaheds. A significant number were shot down by our air defenders,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X.
“Launching such large-scale attacks after ceasefire negotiations is a clear signal to the whole world that Moscow is not going to pursue real peace.”
What has the US said?
Donald Trump thinks Russia wants to end its war with Ukraine, but acknowledged that Putin has not offered a speedy end to the conflict.
“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 in an interview with Newsmax on Tuesday night.
According to the official White House statement following the lengthy negotiations, US officials “reiterated President Donald J. Trump’s imperative that the killing on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict must stop, as the necessary step toward achieving an enduring peace settlement.”
What happens next?
This is the key question, after Russia launched an attack on the Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv overnight, which provides access to the Black Sea.
Mr Zelensky has hit out at Russia following overnight attacks, saying the next few days will be key to seeing whether Russia is serious about moving towards peace.
“Launching such large-scale attacks after ceasefire negotiations is a clear signal to the whole world that Moscow is not going to pursue real peace,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X on Wednesday.
The US said it would continue to facilitate negotiations between both sides to help find a “peaceful resolution”.
For its part, the Kremlin has said any moves towards a greater peace will be gradual.
“In general … there are many, many different aspects of the settlement to be worked out,” Mr Peskov said earlier this week, according to the Washington Post.
