On Tuesday, the United States brokered two separate agreements with Ukraine and Russia to halt maritime attacks and the targeting of energy facilities.
These agreements mark the first formal commitments by both parties, who have been engaged in a bloody war since February 2022. They were reached following U.S. President Donald Trump's return to the White House in January.
Trump has been pushing to expedite the end of the war, raising concerns in Kyiv and European countries.
Both Russia and Ukraine confirmed their "reliance on Washington" for the implementation of the agreements.
The agreements, reached in Saudi Arabia, followed talks initiated by the U.S. president. These discussions were preceded by separate phone calls last week between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Tuesday, Washington and Kyiv announced the outcomes of expert-level discussions held between March 23 and 25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A White House statement revealed that the parties agreed to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, prohibit the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial ships for military purposes.
They also committed to developing mechanisms for prisoner exchanges, releasing civilian detainees, and returning Ukrainian children who were forcibly relocated.
The U.S. statement welcomed the potential role of third countries in implementing agreements related to energy and maritime navigation. It emphasized America's commitment to continuing diplomatic efforts for a lasting peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Trump reiterated the necessity of halting fighting by all parties as a fundamental step toward peace.
Zelensky stated that the ceasefire agreements would take effect immediately and warned that if Russia violated them, he would request Trump to impose additional sanctions on Moscow and provide Kyiv with more weapons.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov clarified that Kyiv would consider any movement of Russian military ships outside the eastern part of the Black Sea as a violation and a threat, granting Ukraine the full right to self-defense. He added, "We do not trust the Russians, but we will be constructive."
Meanwhile, the Russian Kremlin announced that oil refineries, pipelines, and nuclear power plants are among the targets that Russia and Ukraine agreed to temporarily suspend attacks on. The list also includes fuel storage facilities, pumping stations, and infrastructure for electricity generation and transmission, such as power plants, substations, transformers, distributors, and hydroelectric dams.
The Kremlin's statement noted that the temporary halt on strikes targeting energy infrastructure would last for 30 days, with the possibility of extension through mutual agreement. It added that if one party violated the agreement, the other would no longer be bound by it.
The Kremlin also indicated that the Black Sea understandings would not take effect "unless links between certain Russian banks and the global financial system are restored." Zelensky denied this claim, asserting that there were no conditions for easing sanctions before the agreement's implementation.
In his evening address, Zelensky expressed disappointment, stating, "Unfortunately, even now, even today, the day of negotiations itself, we see how the Russians have started manipulating. They are already trying to distort the agreements and deceive our mediators and the entire world."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov remarked, "We will need clear guarantees. Given the painful experience of (previous) agreements with Kyiv alone, guarantees can only result from a direct order from Washington to Zelensky and his team to do one specific thing."
Russia has been targeting Ukraine's power grid with missiles and drones since the war began, claiming that civilian energy infrastructure is a legitimate target as it bolsters Ukraine's combat capabilities.
Recently, Ukraine launched long-range strikes on Russian oil and gas sector targets, stating that these facilities provide fuel for Russian forces and revenue to fund their war effort.
The Kremlin announced that the suspension of attacks on the energy sector would last for 30 days starting March 18, when Putin first discussed the matter with Trump. Ukraine had declared last week that it would not accept this suspension until a formal agreement was reached.
The maritime ceasefire agreement addresses a critical issue since the war's onset, when Russia effectively imposed a naval blockade on Ukraine, one of the world's largest grain exporters, exacerbating the global food crisis.
However, naval battles have played a relatively minor role in the war recently, as Russia withdrew its naval forces from the eastern Black Sea following several successful Ukrainian attacks. Kyiv managed to reopen its ports and resume exports to levels close to those before the war, despite the collapse of a previous UN-mediated agreement on Black Sea shipping.
Trump is pressuring both sides to end the war quickly, a goal he promised to achieve during his presidential campaign last year.