A Ukrainian soldier in front of a ship in the port of Odesa (Reuters/File)

Tuesday’s Coverage: US and Russia Talk for 12 Hours

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1421 GMT:

The European Commission says Russia’s “unconditional withdrawal” from Ukraine is a main precondition for changing or lifting sanctions.

Spokesperson Anitta Hipper emphasized that EU sanctions do not target Russia’s agricultural trade, including food, grain, and fertilizers, with third countries.

UPDATE 0930 GMT:

Russia has reportedly struck Ukrainian energy infrastructure eight times since March 18, when the Kremlin supposedly accepted a Ukraine-US proposal for a halt to the attacks.

“Moscow is a city built on lies, no surprise to anyone in Ukraine,” said Ukrainian President aide Dmytro Lytvyn. “The reality is – since March 18, they’ve been hitting our energy sites with bombs, attack drones, and FPV drones.”

Air defenses downed 56 of 117 drones launched by Russia overnight. Another 48 were lost to electronic counter-measures.

At least four civilians were killed and six injured by Russian attacks over the past day.

Three of the fatalities were in the Donetsk region in the east and one in the Dnipropetrovsk region in south-central Ukraine.

Casualties were also reported in the Kherson region in the south of the country.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky commented:

UPDATE 0712 GMT:

Hours after the conclusion of talks in Saudi Arabia, Russia attacked Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region in south-central Ukraine.

The head of the city’s Defense Council, Oleksandr Vilkul, posted: “A large-scale Shahed drone attack. At least 15 explosions.”

UPDATE 0650 GMT:

A mother and her 3-year-old daughter were killed on Tuesday by a Russian attack on the village of Kurtivka in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

A 15-year-old girl was injured.

UPDATE 0634 GMT:

Translator Elena Abramova has been given a 2-year prison sentence by a Russian court because she held up signs opposing Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine.

In 2023, Abramova displayed placards with “A world without war, a Russia without Putin!” and “Freedom for [late Russian dissident Alexei] Navalny! Freedom for all political prisoners”.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Following three days of talks in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and the US have agreed on a ceasefire in the Black Sea — but Russia has issued a demand blocking implementation.

The Trump Administration cited an agreement with Kyiv “to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea”. The two countries agreed to “develop measures for implementing” an earlier deal to stop strikes against energy infrastructure, and will “continue working toward achieving a durable and lasting peace”.

The Ukraine readout confirmed the arrangements and added:

The movement of Russian military vessels beyond the Eastern Black Sea will be considered a violation of the spirit of this agreement….[It will] be considered a violation of the obligations to ensure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and a threat to the national security of Ukraine.

In such case, Ukraine will have the full right to exercise the right to self-defense.

Saying the ceasefire is effective immediately, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky added, “If the Russians violate this, then I have a direct question for President Trump. If they violate, here is the evidence — we ask for sanctions, we ask for weapons, etc.”

Russia: No Agreement Unless US Lifts Sanctions

But Russia said in a readout that it will only commit to a halt of attacks if US sanctions are lifted on key financial institutions supporting its food and fertilizer exports — a demand it has made since July 2023, when Vladimir Putin ripped up a deal lifting the blockade of Ukrainian ports. They are insisting on reconnection to the Swift international payment system.

The Russians also demanded a reduction in the cost of maritime insurance, expansion of access to ports and the lifting of service restrictions, payment systems to conduct transactions, and the removal of sanctions on Russian-flagged vessels involved in the trade of food and fertilizers.

Zelensky said any concession would “a weakening of our position on sanctions”, suggesting the US would be helping Russia improve its economic position while Moscow’s 37-month full-scale invasion continues.

He explained that there had been no agreement on an unconditional ceasefire because “the Russians didn’t want it”. As the negotiations continued, “people will not believe the Russians more and more with every day”.

The President added in his nightly video address to the nation:

Russia’s “Art of the Deal”

Dr. Janis Kluge of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs summarized:

The “Russian art of the deal” is selling Russian demands as Russian concessions to the Americans, and then demand sanctions relief on top.

The demand here is that Ukraine is not allowed to attack Russian warships any more and Russia gets to inspect Ukrainian ships.

Zelensky noted that the lifting of US sanctions “wasn’t in the agenda before the meeting….We didn’t agree to that so that it would be in our common [statement].”

Donald Trump gave a garbled response when asked if he believes Russia “wants to see an end” to its invasion:

I don’t know. I mean, I’ll let you know at a certain point. But I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they’re dragging their feet.

I’ve done it over the years, you know: “I don’t want to sign a contract, I want to sort of stay in the game, but maybe I don’t want to do it.”

Asked if he will lift sanctions on Moscow, Trump responded, “They will be looking at them and we are thinking about all of them right now. There are about five or six conditions. We’re looking at all of them.”