The White House on Tuesday said it has made separate agreements with Ukraine and Russia to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea and to introduce a ban on attacks against energy facilities in the two countries.
In a breakthrough more than three years after Russia invaded Ukraine, Washington will also help to restore Moscow's access to the world market for agricultural and fertiliser exports, and will continue brokering talks in an effort to achieve sustainable peace, a White House statement said.
The development follows summits this week in Riyadh between the US and Russia, and the US and Ukraine.
“The United States reiterated to both sides President Donald J Trump’s imperative that the killing on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict must stop, as the necessary step towards achieving an enduring peace settlement,” the White House said. “To that end, the United States will continue facilitating negotiations between both sides to achieve a peaceful resolution, in line with the agreements made in Riyadh.”
The White House said the US remained committed to helping achieve the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.
Russia and Ukraine have also agreed to develop measures to ban strikes on each other's energy infrastructure, the White House said.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said Kyiv supported two proposed ceasefire deals and would welcome third countries monitoring the accords, concerning a truce at sea and halting energy infrastructure attacks.
In a post on X, Mr Umerov added Ukraine would regard any movement of Russian naval vessels beyond the eastern Black Sea as a breach of the spirit of the agreements and that, in such an event, Kyiv would have the right to self-defence.