The United States announced separate agreements with Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday, aiming to pause hostilities at sea and attacks on energy infrastructure. As part of the deal, Washington agreed to advocate for easing certain sanctions on Moscow.
While the timeline and implementation details of the Black Sea maritime security agreements remain unclear, these deals mark the first formal commitments between the two warring nations since President Donald Trump took office. Trump has been actively pushing for an end to the war in Ukraine and a swift reconciliation with Moscow, a move that has raised concerns in Kyiv and among European allies. The U.S. agreement with Russia extends further than its pact with Ukraine, with Washington committing to facilitating the removal of international sanctions on Russian agricultural and fertilizer exports—a long-standing demand from Moscow.
Following the U.S. announcements, the Kremlin stated that the Black Sea agreements would not take effect unless Russian banks were reconnected to the global financial system. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy insisted that the truce agreements did not hinge on sanction relief and should be enacted immediately. He accused the Kremlin of attempting to manipulate the agreements.
"They are already trying to distort agreements and, in fact, deceive both our intermediaries and the entire world," Zelenskiy declared in his nightly address.
Both Kyiv and Moscow signaled their reliance on Washington to enforce the deals, though each expressed doubts about the other’s willingness to adhere to the terms. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that clear guarantees were needed, stating, "Given the sad experience of agreements with just Kyiv, the guarantees can only come from Washington instructing Zelenskiy and his team on what to do."
Zelenskiy, for his part, warned that if Russia violated the agreements, he would urge Trump to impose additional sanctions on Moscow and increase military aid to Ukraine.
"We have no faith in the Russians, but we will be constructive," he said.
In the hours following the announcement, both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of launching drone strikes. However, no immediate reports emerged of attacks on Black Sea or energy targets.
BROADER CEASEFIRE PROSPECTS
The agreements stemmed from parallel negotiations in Saudi Arabia, following separate phone calls last week between Trump and the presidents of Ukraine and Russia. If fully enacted, they could represent a significant step toward Trump's broader ambition of achieving a ceasefire in the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion three years ago. However, Putin rejected Trump's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, a plan previously endorsed by Ukraine.
"We are making a lot of progress," Trump told reporters on Tuesday, while acknowledging the deep animosity surrounding the negotiations.
"There's a lot of hatred, as you can probably tell, and that makes mediation essential to bring people together. And I think it will work," he added.
In recent days, Washington has softened its stance toward Russia, with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff stating that he does not view Putin as a "bad guy." This shift has unsettled European officials, who see the Russian leader as a significant threat. Lavrov noted that Witkoff’s optimism about an imminent truce underestimates the influence of European countries, which he claimed were trying to prevent Zelenskiy from compromising with Moscow.
Ukraine and its European allies fear that Trump might rush into a settlement that weakens their security and concedes to Russian demands, including abandoning NATO aspirations and ceding territory claimed by Moscow.
PAUSE ON ATTACKS AGAINST ENERGY FACILITIES
Late Tuesday, the Kremlin announced a 30-day pause on attacks against energy infrastructure in both Russia and Ukraine, beginning on March 18 when Putin initially discussed the matter with Trump. Russia indicated its willingness to extend the pause beyond that period.
Ukraine had previously insisted that such an arrangement be formalized before implementation.
The war has seen Russia relentlessly target Ukraine’s power grid with missiles and drones, while Kyiv has conducted long-range strikes on Russian oil and gas infrastructure. These attacks have become a key aspect of the conflict, aimed at undermining each other's war efforts.
While the pause in energy attacks is a novel initiative, the Black Sea maritime security agreements address a long-standing issue. Early in the war, Russia’s naval blockade severely impacted Ukraine’s grain exports, exacerbating a global food crisis. However, maritime warfare has played a diminished role recently, as Russian naval forces withdrew from parts of the eastern Black Sea following successful Ukrainian attacks.
Despite the collapse of a previous UN-brokered Black Sea shipping agreement, Ukraine has managed to restore its ports and resume grain exports to near pre-war levels. Nonetheless, its ports remain under threat from Russian airstrikes. Zelenskiy asserted that the new agreement would prohibit such attacks.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov warned that any unauthorized movement of Russian military vessels outside the eastern Black Sea would be considered a violation and a threat, justifying Ukraine’s right to self-defense.
Moscow reiterated that the agreement’s implementation depended on sanction relief, particularly the restoration of Russian agricultural banks' access to the SWIFT international payment system. European countries may consider concessions on this front as part of broader negotiations.
Reporting by Katharine Jackson, Steve Holland, and Jeff Mason in Washington; Anastasiia Malenko in Kyiv; Dmitry Antonov in Moscow; and Lidia Kelly in Melbourne.
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