The President of the United States managed to reach separate agreements with Russia and Ukraine and there will be a ceasefire in the Black Sea region
Recently, Ukraine has launched long-distance attacks on Russian energy targets, arguing that these serve both to supply Russian troops and to finance the war.
During the conflict, Russia had imposed a de facto naval blockade on Ukraine, which is one of the world's largest grain exporters, threatening to raise prices of products like wheat globally.
This Tuesday, the United States reached separate agreements with Ukraine and Russia to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea and to implement a ban on attacks between both countries on their energy facilities.
These agreements, if implemented, could represent a significant step toward a broader ceasefire, considered by Washington as a crucial step for peace negotiations that would end the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine.
Both countries agreed to rely on the United States to enforce the agreements. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski expressed that if Russia violates the agreement, he expects sanctions and the delivery of more weapons, asking Washington for a firm response.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that enforcement guarantees could only come from a direct mandate from Washington to Zelenski, given previous experience with agreements only between Moscow and Kiev.
The agreements, reached in Saudi Arabia, were the result of talks initiated by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who has promised to quickly end the war.
This shift in Washington's stance, which has moved from blind support by the Democrats for Kiev to a more conciliatory position with Moscow, includes the promise to help restore Russia's access to international markets for its agricultural and fertilizer exports, which could require lifting some sanctions.
Trump had previously proposed a 30-day ceasefire, which was rejected by Putin, while Ukraine had supported it.
Regarding the situation in the Black Sea, Ukraine warned that it would consider any movement of Russian warships outside the eastern part of the sea as a violation and a threat, which would justify the right to self-defense, according to Kiev.
Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure, arguing that it is a legitimate target because it supports Ukraine's war effort.
However, naval battles have been relatively minor since 2023, when Russia withdrew its naval forces from the eastern part of the Black Sea after several successful Ukrainian attacks.
Since then, Ukraine has reopened its ports and resumed its exports to levels close to those before the war, despite the collapse of the UN-mediated grain shipping agreement.
Trump is pressuring both sides and negotiating with them to quickly end the conflict, which could open lucrative trade opportunities for both nations.
However, Ukraine and its European allies fear that Trump might agree to an efficient deal with Putin that undermines Europe's war intentions, especially if this means Ukraine abandons its ambitions to join NATO or cedes regions that Russia claims as its own. Ukraine has rejected this possibility, considering it a surrender.
The Tuesday agreement between Russia and Ukraine on the Black Sea represents a first step toward broader peace. The United States will continue to facilitate negotiations to achieve a peaceful resolution.
Meanwhile, Russia and the United States agreed to work on measures to implement a 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructures, according to the agreements reached by the presidents of both countries.
However, Lavrov accused Western countries of trying to "contain" Russia in a manner similar to what Napoleon and Hitler did in the past.
