US Brokers Black Sea Ceasefire Deal; Zelensky Criticizes Sanctions Weakening

Black Sea Ceasefire Initiative

• 🇺🇸 The White House announced that Russia and Ukraine have separately agreed to avoid military strikes on vessels in the Black Sea.
• 🇸🇦 This agreement was reached following talks in Saudi Arabia.
• 🇺🇦 Kyiv has confirmed its commitment to safe navigation but requires further technical consultations.
• ⚠️ Ukraine stated it would consider Russian warship movements beyond the eastern Black Sea a violation of the agreement.

Russia's Demands for Guarantees

• 🇷🇺 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted that Moscow needs “clear guarantees”.
• 🤝 Lavrov stated that these guarantees can only be a result of a direct order from Washington to President Zelensky.
• 🗣️ He compared Western pressure on Russia to the actions of Napoleon and Hitler.

Zelensky's Criticism of Sanctions

• 📉 President Zelensky criticized the US for weakening sanctions against Russia.
• 🌾 This criticism stems from the US offering to ease restrictions on Russian agricultural exports.
• 🤝 Zelensky also indicated that Ukraine and Washington agree that third parties, such as Turkey, could oversee parts of a future truce.
• ❓ The details of the US-brokered deal were not fully known to Ukraine, and the easing of restrictions on agricultural products was not part of Ukraine's agenda.