Russia and Ukraine agreed to a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, White House officials announced Tuesday and Ukraine confirmed—though Russia has yet to respond to the reported deal, which falls short of the full ceasefire U.S. and Ukrainian officials agreed to earlier this month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin during a ceremony for young cultural figures on March 25, 2025 in ... More
The White House said both Russia and Ukraine agreed “to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea” following three days of negotiations in Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. will also help the two countries “develop measures” for implementing the previously announced ceasefire on energy targets, the White House statement said.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the agreement in a statement on X, warning “all movement by Russia of its military vessels outside of [the] Eastern part of the Black Sea will constitute violation of the spirit of this agreement” and “in this case Ukraine will have full right to exercise right to self-defense.”
Russia had yet to respond shortly after the statement was released, however, and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier Tuesday “the content of the technical negotiations will definitely not be ‘published,’” adding that the outcome of the talks was “being analyzed."
This is a developing story and will be updated.