Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Photo: AFP
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to halt military strikes in the Black Sea, achieving a tentative first step towards peace in talks with the United States held in Saudi Arabia.
With President Donald Trump pushing for a rapid end to the war that has killed tens of thousands of people, US negotiators met separately over three days in the Saudi capital Riyadh with delegations from Kyiv and Russia.
In parallel statements on Tuesday (US time), the White House said that each country "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 United States reiterated Trump's "imperative that the killing on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict must stop, as the necessary step toward achieving an enduring peace settlement", it said.
"To that end, the United States will continue facilitating negotiations between both sides to achieve a peaceful resolution, in line with the agreements made in Riyadh."
In the most concrete incentive offered to Russia since the West imposed sweeping sanctions over the 2022 invasion, the United States said it would "help restore access to the world market" for Russian agricultural and fertiliser exports.
The United States never directly put sanctions on Russian agriculture but had restricted access to payment systems used for international transactions.
The issue became a major talking point for Russia, which told countries in the developing world that US policies, not the war itself, were contributing to higher prices.
Still no broader truce
Ukraine, which turned to diplomacy after heavy pressure from Trump including a brief cutoff in military aid and intelligence, said that details of the Black Sea ceasefire needed to be worked out.
"It is important to hold additional technical consultations as soon as possible to agree on all the details and technical aspects of the implementation, monitoring and control of the arrangements," Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who took part in the talks, said on social media.
He also warned that if Russian warships moved from the eastern part of the Black Sea then "Ukraine will have full right to exercise right to self-defence."
Ukraine earlier this month agreed to a US-proposed unconditional ceasefire, but Russia turned it down, with Kyiv accusing it of wanting to gain more battlefield advantage first.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gave no sign that Moscow was closer to agreeing to a wider ceasefire and put a priority on shipping through the Black Sea.
A previous UN-brokered deal that allowed millions of tonnes of grain and other food exports to be shipped safely from Ukraine's ports, but Russia had complained that it was not beneficial for its trade.
Before the US announcement on agricultural exports, Lavrov accused Western countries of trying to "contain" Russia like "Napoleon and Hitler."
Ukrainian rescuers work to extinguish a fire in a residential building following a missile attack in Sumy, northeastern Ukraine, on 24 March, 2025. Photo: AFP / State Emergency Service of Ukraine
No let-up on ground
The Saudi talks came as both Russia and Ukraine escalate their attacks on the ground, with Kyiv saying its air defence units had downed 78 out of 139 drones launched by Russia on Tuesday.
In Ukraine's northeastern city of Sumy, officials said the toll from a Russian strike a day earlier climbed to 101 wounded, including 23 children.
The strike hit a residential area in the city near the Russian border as negotiations were taking place in Riyadh.
The local administration in Sumy said 14 adults and 16 children were in hospital, with one adult and one child in "serious condition."
Russia has advanced in some areas of the front for months and the Kremlin has praised troops for recently retaking swathes of territory held by Ukraine in the border region of Kursk.
Firefighters extinguishing a fire in a hospital building following a strike in Krasnopillya, Sumy region, on 19 March, 2025. Photo: AFP / State Emergency Service of Ukraine
The Russian defence ministry on Tuesday claimed to have captured two more villages in southern and eastern Ukraine.
A Russian negotiator had said earlier on Tuesday that Moscow would continue "useful" talks with US representatives but would aim to involve the UN and other countries.
"We talked about everything, it was an intense dialogue, not easy, but very useful for us and the Americans," Grigory Karasin told the state TASS news agency, adding that "lots of problems were discussed."
"Of course we are far from solving everything, from being in agreement on all points, but it seems that this type of discussion is very timely," he said.
Ukraine has repeatedly accused the Kremlin of trying to put off any serious discussion of implementing a halt in hostilities.
-AFP
