Russia says it will sign Black Sea deal if US 'orders' President Zelensky

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on March 25 that his country wants the United States to ensure that Ukraine will comply once the parties sign an agreement on ensuring the safety of ships in the Black Sea.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on March 25 that his country is ready to sign a new agreement to ensure the safety of ships in the Black Sea only if the United States orders Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to comply with the agreement.

The diplomat said that only this would provide the guarantees Russia needed. Previously, Russia and Ukraine had criticized each other over the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal in 2023.

"We will need clear guarantees. And given the sad experience of agreements only with Kyiv, these guarantees can only be the result of orders from Washington to Zelensky and his team to do one thing and not another," Reuters quoted Lavrov as saying in a televised speech.

"And it seems to me that our American partners have received this signal," he added, saying that the US side understands that only they can achieve positive results in stopping Ukraine from "shelling civilian infrastructure, energy infrastructure that is not related to the military-industrial complex."

According to analysts, Mr. Lavrov's statement shows that Russia wants the US to increase pressure on Mr. Zelensky before agreeing to a ceasefire at sea, which Washington believes would be an important step towards a more comprehensive ceasefire.

The maritime ceasefire being discussed would be a successor to an earlier agreement that allowed Ukraine to safely export nearly 33 million tons of grain during the fighting.

Moscow pulled out of the deal in 2023, saying its food and fertilizer exports faced serious problems due to Western sanctions affecting payments, logistics and insurance. Kyiv had previously accused Moscow of obstructing the initiative.

Mr Lavrov said grain and fertilizer markets needed to be “predictable”. He added that the Black Sea deal was a priority during talks between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on 24 March.

The Kremlin said Russia and the US were analyzing the results of the talks, but would not make details public.

According to Fox News, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is expected to discuss the ceasefire agreement in the Black Sea with his Russian counterpart later on March 25. Accordingly, Mr. Waltz contacted Russian President Vladimir Putin's senior assistant, Mr. Yuri Ushakov, to agree on related conditions.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nga-noi-se-ky-thoa-thuan-bien-den-neu-my-ra-lenh-cho-tong-thong-zelensky-185250325211432645.htm