IRIA News

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After three days of separate meetings involving American, Russian, and Ukrainian delegations in Riyadh, the U.S. announced that it had brokered an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to halt military activity over the Black Sea, raising cautious hopes for a pause in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The White House announced the initial agreement to halt military activity over the Black Sea and ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea as the U.S. wrapped up three days of separate talks with Russian and UKrainian delegations Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 25, 2025.

While no direct contact occurred between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, U.S. officials have continued to act as intermediaries, holding back-to-back discussions with both sides to broker a limited ceasefire.

The Saudi-hosted diplomatic marathon is an ambitious attempt to secure a 30-day ceasefire in a conflict that has entered its third year and shows little sign of abating. Both Russia and Ukraine reportedly agreed to the ceasefire in principle last week, but sharp divergences over its scope and execution have hampered progress. Even during the talks, hostilities continued on both sides, with drone and missile strikes escalating across several regions.

US claims it brokered Black Sea ceasefire deal

The United States announced that it struck two agreement with Ukraine and Russia to stop fighting and ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea. Both countries “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,” according to the White House.

However, the Kremlin stated that the Black Sea deal could only proceed if sanctions on the Russian Agricultural Bank and other entities involved in food and fertilizer trade are lifted. The White House, while not confirming the lifting of sanctions, said the U.S. “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.”

Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s envoy for investment and economic cooperation, hailed the the talks as a “major shift toward peace, enhanced global food security and essential grain supplies for over 100 million additional people.”

While a complete peace deal still looked distant, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the talks as the early “right steps” toward a peaceful settlement. “These are the first steps — not the very first but initial ones — with this presidential administration toward completely ending the war and the possibility of a full ceasefire, as well as steps toward a sustainable and fair peace agreement,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference.

While details of the deal were not disclosed, it seems to represent another effort to secure safe Black Sea shipping, following a 2022 agreement brokered by the UN and Turkey, which Russia halted the following year.

Key Highlights of US agreements with Russia and Ukraine on Black Sea

The U.S. statements, issued after separate talks with Russian and Ukrainian officials in Riyadh, differed in two key areas. The U.S. agreed to help Russia access global markets for fertilizer and agricultural exports. For Ukraine, the U.S. confirmed its support in facilitating the exchange of prisoners of war, civilian detainees, and kidnapped children.

According to the two separate statements issued by the White House:

• The U.S. and Russia agreed to ensure safe navigation and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.
• The U.S. will help restore Russia’s access to global markets for agricultural exports and improve maritime insurance and port access.
• The U.S. and Ukraine reaffirmed their commitment to facilitating the exchange of prisoners of war, civilian detainees, and the return of Ukrainian children.
• Both the U.S. and Russia, as well as the U.S. and Ukraine, agreed to measures to ban strikes on energy facilities in both countries.
• The U.S. emphasized the need to halt killings on both sides of the conflict to work toward a lasting peace and will continue facilitating negotiations.

Defining the ceasefire terms

The primary sticking point remains the interpretation of the ceasefire’s terms. The White House has publicly stated that the partial truce would involve halting attacks on “energy and infrastructure,” aiming to shield vital services and reduce civilian casualties. However, Moscow insists the agreement applies only to “energy infrastructure,” a narrower scope that has raised alarm in Kyiv and among international observers.

Despite the ambiguity, discussions have made tentative progress on issues related to the Black Sea, a critical zone for both trade and military operations. “Primarily issues of safe shipping in the Black Sea” were on the agenda in the U.S.-Russia meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday in an interview with a Russian state broadcaster.

Lavrov added that Moscow is open to resuming the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative. That deal, originally brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, enabled Ukraine to export grain through its southern ports to alleviate food crises in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Moscow withdrew from the deal in July 2023, citing unmet demands for unrestricted exports of Russian food and fertilizers.

Ukrainian priorities and skepticism

Serhii Leshchenko, an advisor to the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, confirmed that the U.S.-Ukraine talks in Riyadh focused on “the security of shipping and infrastructure, including safety for the (Ukrainian) ports of Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kherson.” These ports have been frequent targets in the conflict and are essential for Ukraine’s economic survival and global grain exports.

Following Tuesday’s continued consultations, Leshchenko noted that the Ukrainian team would brief President Zelenskyy, adding, “Ukraine is ready to support initiatives that will make diplomacy a means of pressure to compel Russia to end the war.”

Russia and UKraine continue militart strikes

But while Ukraine remains diplomatically engaged, it continues to face unrelenting attacks. On Monday, a Russian missile strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy injured at least 101 people, including 23 children. The strike, which hit residential areas and a school, prompted evacuations and intensified pressure on Kyiv to secure greater protection for its urban centers.

In retaliation, Ukraine reportedly launched several drone strikes targeting Russian energy infrastructure. According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, one Ukrainian drone knocked out a high-voltage power line connected to the Rostov nuclear power plant, and another struck a gas distribution station in Svatovo, a town in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region.

Blaming Zelenskyy for these attacks, the Russian defense ministry claimed that such actions “confirm his inability to observe agreements and make it impossible for outside guarantors of any potential agreements to control him.” The ministry’s harsh language indicates the high level of mistrust that still pervades any attempts at conflict resolution.

No plans for trilateral or leader-level engagement

Despite the intensive backchannel diplomacy, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov made it clear that no trilateral meeting involving Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine is on the horizon. “We’re talking about technical negotiations, negotiations with immersion in details,” Peskov told reporters. He emphasized that there were currently no plans for a conversation between President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump either.

The recent meetings in Riyadh come amid intensifying military activity on the ground in Ukraine and growing international pressure for a humanitarian pause in the conflict that is entering its third year. While discussions have produced no formal agreements, officials involved in the talks have characterized the dialogue as “constructive,” though still fragile.

This lack of clarity has hindered progress and left key issues unresolved. Despite ongoing drone and missile attacks by both sides, diplomatic efforts have persisted, underscoring the high stakes involved.