Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow and Kyiv agree to stop Black Sea military strikes, Trump’s White House says
Moscow and Kyiv, and Washington have agreed to ensure the safety of ships travelling in the Black Sea, the White House has said.
The agreements come after three days of intense discussions between US officials and delegations from Ukraine and Russia, which the Trump administration hoped would pave the way for longer-term peace.
A White House statement said US, Russian and Ukrainian officials had “agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea”.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that a deal in the Black Sea was only possible with strict conditions attached – and if the US ordered Volodymyr Zelensky to respect the deal.
“We will need clear guarantees. And given the sad experience of agreements with just Kyiv, the guarantees can only be the result of an order from Washington to Zelensky and his team to do one thing and not the other,” Lavrov told reporters.
Both sides also agreed to develop measures for implementing the “agreement to ban strikes against energy facilities”, the White House added.
