The United States is "looking at" lifting additional sanctions on Russia in order to secure a Black Sea ceasefire agreement, U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 25.
Trump's comments come following talks between Russia and the U.S. in Saudi Arabia.
Russia and the U.S. agreed to implement a ceasefire in the Black Sea and a ban on strikes against energy infrastructure. To secure an agreement, the White House initially vowed to help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions.
The Kremlin later issued a statement on March 25, stating that the ceasefire in the Black Sea will take effect only after Western sanctions on Russia's Rosselkhozbank and other financial organizations involved in supporting international food trade operations are lifted and have their connection to the SWIFT messaging system restored.
"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," Trump told reporters in response to a question on the possibility of lifting additional Russian sanctions.
Moscow is also demanding that the West lift the sanctions on Russian food producers and exporters, as well as on Russian-flagged ships involved in food and fertilizer trade. Another condition for the ceasefire is that commercial ships in the Black Sea should be inspected, according to the Kremlin.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists that Ukraine believes that the partial ceasefire for the Black Sea and energy infrastructure strikes should take effect on March 25, at odds with the Kremlin's statement.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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