Egypt Daily News – As a result of the Saudi-Mediated talks, the United States announced that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a truce in the Black Sea and to establish mechanisms for enforcing a ban on targeting energy infrastructure.
In separate statements, the White House said on Tuesday that three days of technical talks in Saudi Arabia with delegations from Russia and Ukraine resulted in agreements to “ensure safe navigation” in the Black Sea. It added that both sides also agreed to prevent the use of commercial shipping for military purposes.
According to the statement, the U.S. “will assist in restoring Russia’s access to global markets for agricultural and fertilizer exports, reducing maritime insurance costs, and improving access to ports and payment systems for such transactions.”
Truce on Energy Infrastructure Targeting
The White House also noted that Ukraine and Russia agreed to work with the U.S. on measures necessary to implement a truce concerning attacks on energy infrastructure.
These statements follow an earlier Kremlin announcement on Tuesday that it would not disclose details of the 12-hour negotiations between Russian and U.S. officials in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Additionally, U.S. and Ukrainian officials held a second round of talks on Tuesday, following discussions on Sunday that Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov described as “productive and focused.”
The U.S. characterized these separate meetings as the next phase in President Donald Trump’s campaign to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which has been ongoing for more than three years.
The Saudi-mediated talks followed two separate phone calls last week between Trump and both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump secured an agreement from both leaders for a 30-day truce, including a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure. However, the details of its implementation and monitoring remain unclear.
The White House statement reaffirmed that the U.S. “remains committed to assisting in prisoner exchanges, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.”
Constructive Negotiations
Gregory Karasin, former Russian Deputy Foreign Minister who led the Kremlin’s negotiating team, stated on Tuesday that the dialogue between Moscow and Washington was “difficult but constructive and covered many issues,” according to the TASS news agency. He indicated that talks would continue with the participation of the United Nations and other countries.
Turkey and the UN had previously brokered negotiations for a grain export deal from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports in 2022 and 2023, but the agreement collapsed after Russia withdrew.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S. expressed her country’s unconditional support for a comprehensive ceasefire with Russia, beyond the energy truce.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday, Ambassador Oksana Markarova stated, “We sincerely welcome this. We need Russia’s agreement on it… Implementation requires both sides’ approval.”
