A U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Black Sea between Russia and Ukraine has been agreed to after lengthy negotiations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between Russia and Ukraine. It’s the first small step in a process that it is hoped will result in a full-scale ceasefire between the two warring nations.
The deal comes with some conditions. According to the New York Times, Russia says it will honor the agreement only after its state agriculture bank is reconnected to the international payment system and penalties are lifted on “trade finance operations.”
The White House agreed, saying it “will 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.”
“The United States and Russia have agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea,” the White House said in a statement following talks in Jeddah.
The two sides also agreed to begin negotiations to end attacks on their respective energy grids. Ukraine needs this respite far more than Russia, as Moscow has continuously and effectively targeted Kyiv’s electrical facilities.
On the other side, Ukraine has forced the Russian navy into a corner with very effective drone strikes on Moscow’s Black Sea fleet. A ceasefire will be most welcome in Moscow.
It would be accurate to paint these agreements as benefiting Russia more than Ukraine. Moscow’s “conditions” to relieve some of the crippling sanctions against it for starting the war are exactly what Russian President Vladimir Putin was looking for.
Donald Trump, trying to get the ball rolling on a theater-wide ceasefire, may have given away too much at the start. In his defense, neither side wanted to get serious about peace, which made some movement favoring Russia necessary.
Ukraine and Russia are now expected to hammer out details for implementing the maritime and energy cease-fire. Mr. Umerov, who led his country’s delegation in Riyadh, said “additional technical consultations” would have to be held as soon as possible for “the implementation, monitoring and control of the arrangements.”
Both countries had already agreed last week to halt strikes on energy facilities, but they had yet to implement the agreement and quickly accused each other of continuing attacks on energy sites.
Strikes on energy facilities have been central to each side’s efforts to weaken the other throughout the war. Russia has pounded Ukraine’s power grid, aiming to make life unbearable for civilians and hinder its war effort. Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russian oil facilities to try to choke off revenues fueling Moscow’s military operations.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov warned Moscow about keeping to the agreement, claiming that “all movement by Russia of its military vessels outside of [the] eastern part of the Black Sea will constitute a violation of the spirit of this agreement, will be regarded as a violation of the commitment to ensure safe navigation of the Black Sea and threat to the national security of Ukraine.”
A baby step towards peace, to be sure, but an important one. Showing goodwill on the part of the U.S. and proving the willingness of both sides to accomplish something for the sake of peace is a vital step toward ending the war.
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