General
Wednesday Briefing: A Cease-Fire Deal for the Black Sea
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The port of Odessa, Ukraine, last week. Credit…Oksana Parafeniuk for The New York Times
Ukraine and Russia agreed to a cease-fire in the Black Sea
Ukraine and Russia agreed to stop fighting in the Black Sea, the White House said yesterday. The pause in maritime attacks would be a significant step, but falls short of a full cease-fire.
The U.S. also said both sides agreed to hash out details about halting strikes on energy facilities. The agreements, which came after three days of negotiations in Saudi Arabia, appeared to extract no concessions from Russia.
The Kremlin said it would honor the Black Sea deal only after Western restrictions on Russian agricultural exports were removed. A White House statement said that the U.S. would “help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports,” among other measures.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said the provision was “a weakening of positions and a weakening of sanctions.” And lifting restrictions would need E.U. approval, which at the moment is unlikely.
What’s to gain: Kyiv and Moscow have an interest in stopping strikes on their respective energy facilities. In the Black Sea, Russia’s navy has been forced into a retreat by repeated Ukrainian attacks.
What’s next: It remains unclear how and when these partial cease-fires would be implemented or how firm either side’s commitment was. Ukraine’s defense minister said that more talks would have to be held as soon as possible to put the deal in place.
