- After peace talks led by the U.S., both Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea.
- Both sides also agreed to work toward banning strikes on energy facilities.
- The U.S. made separate agreements with both Russia and Ukraine in order to get both sides to agree.
Following productive peace talks between U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials over the past week, the White House announced Tuesday that it had made agreements with Russia and Ukraine to cease fighting in the Black Sea.
The talks between the countries took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and resulted in Russia and Ukraine agreeing to “ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea,” according to Politico.
The Black Sea is a vital shipping route for Ukrainian exports, located west of Russia and south of Ukraine, per BBC.
This is the first time there have been agreements from both parties to stop fighting in the Black Sea. If these agreements go through, then it could be a big step toward a larger deal to end the three-yearlong war.
Along with the maritime ceasefire, both Russia and Ukraine agreed to work toward developing a ban on strikes against energy facilities in both countries, per NBC.
Zelenskyy’s statement on the Black Sea ceasefire
After the ceasefire was announced, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to reporters in Kyiv and said it was a step in the right direction.
“It is too early to say that it will work, but these were the right meetings, the right decisions, the right steps,” he said, according to BBC. “No one can accuse Ukraine of not moving towards sustainable peace after this.”
The Ukrainian president added that if Russia violates the deal, he will be asking the U.S. for weapons and sanctions on Russia.
The Kremlin is yet to release a statement about the talks in Saudi Arabia, or the ceasefire agreements that were made, per BBC.
The U.S. made two separate agreements
U.S. officials met separately with Ukrainian and Russian officials during the talks, making different agreements with each country. Each agreement included the U.S. giving the other country something it wanted.
According to BBC, in the deal with the Ukrainians, the U.S. agreed to “remain committed to helping achieve the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.”
The other agreement included the U.S. agreeing to help restore Russia’s “access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports” as well as working to improve the country’s access to global shipping, per NBC.