Far from the total 30-day ceasefire sought by US President Donald Trump, the draft agreements announced on Tuesday, March 25, are aimed at ending hostilities in the Black Sea. After the negotiations conducted in Saudi Arabia, on Sunday and Monday, by the United States with Ukraine, and then with Russia, without any direct meetings between the belligerents, "the United States and Russia 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 announce in a press release.

The Kremlin was quick to warn that these agreements would only apply "after" the lifting of Western sanctions that, according to Moscow, target Russian grain and fertilizer exports. In a very precise press release, the Kremlin called for an end to restrictions on "certain producers and exporters," their "insurance companies" and above all, the state-owned agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank. It also demanded that they be re-connected to the Swift international payment system, based in Belgium. Lifting these restrictions would be impossible for the US to implement unilaterally without coordination with the Europeans.

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