U.S. gets Russian and Ukrainian commitment to Black Sea ceasefire

Russia and Ukraine agreed Tuesday to expand their initial limited ceasefire on energy infrastructure to include the Black Sea after U.S.-sponsored indirect talks in Saudi Arabia.

In separate joint statements from the White House — one between the United States and Russia, another between the U.S. and Ukraine — the two countries agreed to “ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes” in the Black Sea. It did not specify when the limited ceasefire would go into effect.

The statements — which came after this week’s technical talks in Riyadh — differed in two key ways. The U.S. also separately agreed to help Russia gain access to the world markets to export fertilizer and other agricultural products and reiterated its commitment to Ukraine to help facilitate the exchange of prisoners of war, civilian detainees and kidnapped children.

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