US Says Russia, Ukraine Agree to Maritime Cease-Fire in Black Sea

The agreement marks a shift in U.S. policy, with a focus on easing restrictions on Russian maritime trade and payments related to food and fertilizer exports.

A Russian floating dock is towed by tugboats through Bosphorus to the Black Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sept. 18, 2024. Yoruk Isik/Reuters

The United States has announced that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a maritime cease-fire for the Black Sea.

The 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,” the White House said in two March 25 statements—each outlining the conditions agreed to through U.S. mediation by each warring country.

This is in exchange for a U.S. commitment to help restore Russia’s access to certain global markets, including lifting on agricultural and fertilizer exports, lowering maritime insurance costs, and improving access to ports and payment systems—key sectors of Russia’s economy that have faced mounting obstacles since it invaded Ukraine in 2022.

For Ukraine, the United States pledged help to “achieve the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.”

The talks also produced a renewed pledge from both sides to outline measures to ban strikes on energy infrastructure in both Russia and Ukraine.

The announcements follow three days of bilateral talks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The discussions, which began on March 23, were a follow-up to earlier presidential-level talks between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Shortly after the U.S. announcements, the Kremlin clarified its position, saying in a statement that the Black Sea agreements will not come into effect until the lifting of sanctions on the Russian Agricultural Bank and other financial entities, which have restricted access to the SWIFT global banking system, and linked accounts. It also requires that restrictions on trade, finance, and port services involving Russian-flagged vessels be lifted.

Moscow also said that the 30-day freeze on strikes against energy facilities, which began on March 18, may be extended but either side can withdraw if the other fails to comply.

Zelenskyy in a video address praised the talks as the early “right steps” toward a peaceful settlement of the three-year  war but criticized the Kremlin for “already trying to distort agreements,” saying it was his understanding that the truce agreements did not require waiting for the sanctions relief to come into force.

“I want to remind that since March 11, there has been a proposal from America regarding a full and unconditional ceasefire—everywhere, not just regarding energy and the Black Sea. It is Russia that did not agree to this,” he said.

Kyiv and Moscow both have said they rely on Washington to enforce the deals, expressing scepticism that the other side will abide by them.

“We will need clear guarantees,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “And given the sad experience of agreements with just Kyiv, the guarantees can only be the result of an order from Washington to Zelenskyy and his team to do one thing and not the other.”

“The world really does not trust Russia,” Zelenskyy said. “And they must prove that they are ready to end the war and ready not to lie to the world, not to lie to Trump, not to lie to America.

Both Russian and Ukraine welcomed the involvement of other countries to assist in the implementation of the maritime and energy accords, the White House stated.

The talks in Saudi Arabia come amid growing efforts by the Trump administration to broker a broader peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, which includes a partial cease-fire and energy infrastructure protections.

The White House’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who has taken a lead role in the Middle East diplomatic track, had said that U.S. negotiators were “expecting real progress,” particularly on maritime safety in the Black Sea.

Russia has long said that Western restrictions on its food and fertilizer exports have had an outsized effect on developing nations, despite exemptions for such goods on paper.

The White House reiterated that the talks in Riyadh were “in line with presidential-level discussions between President Trump and President Putin.”

Talks on other aspects of the Russia–Ukraine conflict, including cease-fire lines and verification mechanisms, are ongoing.

The White House expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for facilitating the discussions.

Reuters, The Associated Press, and Chris Summers contributed to this report.

This article has been updated with statements from the Kremlin and Kyiv.