On Tuesday, March 25, the United States reached separate agreements with both Ukraine and Russia to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea and impose a ban on attacks targeting each other’s energy facilities.
If implemented, these agreements would mark the clearest progress toward a broader ceasefire, which Washington views as a potential stepping stone toward peace talks aimed at ending Russia’s three-year war in Ukraine. The White House confirmed that both nations had agreed to guarantee safe navigation, refrain from using force, and prevent commercial vessels from being used for military purposes in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine would uphold its part of the agreement. He also stated that if Russia violated the terms, Ukraine would push for further sanctions and request additional weapons from President Trump.
“If the Russians violate this, I have a direct question for President Trump,” Zelenskyy said in Kyiv. “If they violate it, here is the evidence – we ask for sanctions, we ask for weapons.”
In response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov remarked, “We will need clear guarantees. And given the disappointing history of agreements with Kyiv, the guarantees can only come from Washington, directing Zelenskyy and his team on what they must do.”
The war between Ukraine and Russia has been ongoing for over three years, with thousands of casualties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
