US Announces Black Sea Deal with Russia and Ukraine
The White House announced Tuesday that it had reached separate agreements with Russia and Ukraine to allow for “safe navigation” in the Black Sea, eliminating a major roadblock for peace talks between the two countries.
The Trump administration, in two statements, said that technical-level talks between U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, resulted in agreements to “ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.”
The U.S. also said it would help restore Russia’s “access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports” and take steps to improve Moscow’s access to global shipping.
Both sides, according to the U.S., also agreed to work toward the implementation of the energy infrastructure ceasefire Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to in calls with President Donald Trump earlier this month. And the U.S. reiterated its commitment to “helping achieve the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.”
Moscow, in its announcement, was more cautious. The Kremlin said in a Telegram post that the agreement to ensure safe transit through the Black Sea will come into effect once the U.S. lifts some financial sector sanctions and restrictions against companies that export food products and fertilizer. These details were not included in the U.S. statements.
A White House official, granted anonymity to discuss the negotiations with Russia, said “the Russians engaged us this afternoon with requests for more negotiations,” indicating that the sanctions relief is still not a settled subject.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, expressed concerns about the agreement at a Tuesday press conference in Kyiv. But he insisted Ukraine made the right move. “It is early to say this will work,” he said. “But we made the right thing to agree because nobody will blame Ukraine for not wanting peace.”
A successful agreement would be a major breakthrough. The issue of shipping rights and safety in the Black Sea has vexed negotiators seeking to end Russia’s three-year invasion of Ukraine and shore up global supply chains that depend on grain, seed oil and fertilizer exports from both countries.
The war has upended shipments of grain through the Black Sea, ratcheting up global fears about food shortages. Many countries in Africa and the Middle East depend on these exports to sustain their food supplies.
But the deal broke down in 2023 after the Kremlin issued a new set of demands for renewing the agreement, including sanctions relief and allowing the participation of its ships. Successive efforts by Turkey and others to restore the deal fell short, though Ukrainian grain has nevertheless managed to make it through. Exports have even increased since 2023.
An initial impasse was resolved in July 2022, when Turkey and the United Nations brokered the “Black Sea Grain Initiative,” which allowed vital food supplies to move through the Black Sea without threat of attack.
