Ukraine and the United States have agreed on measures to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, with a clear warning that any movement of Russian military vessels beyond the eastern part of the sea will be seen as a violation of the agreement.
Ukraine and the US held bilateral technical consultations in Riyadh focused on the security of energy and critical infrastructure, safe navigation in the Black Sea, and the release and return of Ukrainian prisoners and children.
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Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who took part in the negotiations in Saudi Arabia, announced on Facebook:
“All parties 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.”
Umerov emphasized that any movement of Russian warships outside the eastern Black Sea would violate the commitment to ensure safe navigation and threaten Ukraine’s national security.
“In this case Ukraine will have full right to exercise right to self-defense,” he wrote.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that while he did not trust Russia, “We will do our job to implement the agreements of the Ukraine-US meeting,” and that he hoped the maritime ceasefire would start immediately.
Through anti-ship missiles, sea drones, and covert operations, Ukraine strategically defeated Russia’s Black Sea fleet in 2023, forcing it to withdraw from its deep-water port at Sevastopol.
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According to Umerov’s report, a ban on strikes against energy infrastructure was also agreed upon.
“All parties agreed to develop measures for implementing the Presidents’ agreement to ban strikes against energy facilities of Ukraine and Russia,” he wrote.
The Defense Minister added that all parties welcome the involvement of third countries to help support the implementation of the energy and maritime agreements.
As per the report, all parties will continue working toward achieving a sustainable and lasting peace.
The US delegation, following negotiations with representatives from Ukraine and Russia in Saudi Arabia on March 24, also announced an agreement with Russia to work on a ceasefire in the Black Sea and a ban on strikes against energy infrastructure.
According to Umerov, the US confirmed its support in assisting with the exchange of prisoners of war (POW), the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly displaced Ukrainian children.
“For the effective implementation of the agreements, it is important to hold additional technical consultations as soon as possible to finalize all the details and technical aspects of implementation, monitoring, and control,” Umerov added.
Zelensky, commenting on the talks in Saudi Arabia, outlined two separate agreements - one between Ukraine and the US and another between the US and Russia.
“We agreed on calm at sea and free navigation. We are grateful to the American side for this result and for discussing infrastructure issues separately,” he told journalists.
A key outcome of the negotiations was an agreement to ban attacks on the energy infrastructure of both Ukraine and Russia. The president stated that Kyiv had provided the US with a list of strategic infrastructure sites requiring special protection.
“The American side believes that the calm in the sky regarding energy also applies to other civilian infrastructure. It is already a good result—if there are no attacks on the energy sector, that is already significant,” he stated.
The parties also agreed on mechanisms for monitoring and enforcing the agreements, with the potential involvement of third countries such as Turkey or European partners. Additionally, the return of Ukrainian POWs and children was discussed separately.
“The fifth point in our statement is that America will help us with the return of children, prisoners of war, and civilians,” Zelensky said.
However, Ukraine refused to include provisions allowing Russia to transport agricultural products, arguing that doing so would weaken sanctions.
“We did not agree to this because it weakens our position,” he added.
Zelensky also expressed uncertainty about how the agreements would be implemented and expects further details from Umerov upon his return from Saudi Arabia.
“The Minister of Defense asked the American side when this could come into effect, and they believe that after the American side officially issues a statement, the decisions in this document could begin to be implemented,” he said.
Despite the agreements, Zelensky remained skeptical about Russia’s commitment to them.
“There is no faith in the Russians, but I believe we will be constructive, and if so, we will do our job,” he said.
The president also revealed that the US might not be able to immediately provide full monitoring of the ceasefire but believes that Ukraine, the US, and European partners have sufficient resources to track compliance.
The discussions between Ukrainian and American officials followed 12 hours of talks between US and Russian representatives, which ended without any public statements on a truce.
In Moscow, the Kremlin announced it would not disclose the details of its talks with Washington. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “The results of the talks between Russia and the United States in Riyadh have been reported to Moscow and Washington. The content of these talks will definitely not be made public.”
Although contact with Washington would continue, no date has been set for another meeting.
Moscow later claimed that Ukraine’s position prevented the adoption of a joint statement after the talks in Riyadh. Vladimir Chizhov, First Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Defense and Security Committee, said the parties couldn’t finalize a document but refrained from detailing Ukraine’s influence on the outcome.
The Moscow Times reported that Russia demanded control over the entire territory of four Ukrainian regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson - despite not fully controlling any of them. According to Russian officials, the Kremlin seeks to annex these regions in line with Russia’s Constitution.
Meanwhile, Russian negotiator Grigory Karasin told state TASS news agency that Moscow would continue “useful” talks with the US, aiming to involve the UN and other countries. He described the dialogue as intense but valuable for both sides.
Earlier this month, Ukraine agreed to a US-proposed unconditional ceasefire, but Moscow rejected it. Kyiv and its European allies accuse Russia of avoiding peace efforts.
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