US experts held separate meetings with Ukrainian and Russian officials in Riyadh to broker the Black Sea ceasefire agreement during a three-day period.
The United States confirmed that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea by avoiding strikes. According to sources, US experts held separate meetings with Ukrainian and Russian representatives in Riyadh over three days to finalize the agreement. The White House released separate joint statements regarding the discussions with both Ukraine and Russia.
It stated that both parties “agreed to guarantee safe navigation, prohibit the use of force, and prevent commercial vessels from being used for military activities in the Black Sea.” The specifics of the potential deal have not been disclosed, but it seems to represent a revival of a 2022 agreement aimed at ensuring safe passage through Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. This agreement was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey but was suspended by Russia the following year.
Russia had argued that the agreement did not adequately secure the safety of its Black Sea exports. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in a televised interview on Tuesday that Moscow is willing to revive the deal, but emphasized that Russia’s interests must be safeguarded.
In what seems to be a response to Russia’s demands, the White House statement on the discussions with Russia highlighted that the US “will assist in restoring Russia’s access to global markets for agricultural and fertilizer exports, reduce maritime insurance costs, and improve access to ports and payment systems for such transactions.”
The statement also noted that the parties agreed to create measures for enforcing an agreement made during President Donald Trump’s conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to prevent strikes on energy facilities in both Russia and Ukraine.
Over the course of three days, meetings were held to work on finalizing the terms of a temporary pause in the ongoing three-year conflict in Ukraine, though no direct talks between Russia and Ukraine took place. Efforts to secure even a brief, 30-day ceasefire, which was tentatively agreed upon by Moscow and Kyiv last week, have faced challenges, as both sides have continued to launch drone and missile attacks against each other.