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It remains unclear if a deal to ensure safe shipping in the Black Sea, which came with many caveats, could come into effect soon.
March 26, 2025Updated 8:19 a.m. ET
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to cease fighting in the Black Sea in a U.S.-brokered deal, but it remains unclear whether the agreement can come into force soon — if at all.
Russia had a major caveat: it would abide by the deal only after various restrictions were removed from its agricultural exports. The penalties were imposed by the United States and the European Union, and removing them would be an arduous process.
Kyiv and Moscow also appear to have different interpretations of the agreement announced on Tuesday. Russia framed it as a way to revive a 2022 U.N.-backed deal giving it some control over commercial shipping through the sea. Kyiv, however, insisted that it would not allow the Russian Navy back into the western Black Sea, which Ukraine uses at its main seaborne export route.
Underscoring the mistrust between the two countries, each side accused the other of breaching the truce on Wednesday. Ukraine reported an attack on its port city of Mykolaiv, while Moscow said it shot down two Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea.
Russia’s conditions highlighted how it is in no hurry to end the war. With a sympathetic administration in the White House and as its forces have the upper hand on the battlefield, Moscow has been determined to get as many concessions as possible.
What were Russia’s terms?
The Kremlin said it would not agree to a maritime cease-fire deal unless its state agriculture bank and other financial institutions involved in the trade of food and fertilizers were reconnected to the international payment system known as Swift.
