Things to know about the limited ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine
brokered by the US
[March 27, 2025]
By SAMYA KULLAB
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — After three days of intense negotiations, the Trump
administration, Ukraine and Russia agreed to a limited ceasefire in
which the key details, including what was covered and how it will start,
were disputed by the warring sides, indicating the road to a complete
truce will be long and mired with contention.
The negotiations focused on easing Black Sea shipping and halting
long-range strikes on energy infrastructure, relatively low-hanging
fruit that both sides had experience in negotiating before the U.S.
brokered indirect talks.
While much is yet unknown, here is a breakdown of the key elements of
the partial ceasefire and what is at stake in the coming weeks as talks
continue.
The limited ceasefire began with a rocky start
Conflicting statements emerged immediately after the talks on Tuesday.
Both sides differed on the start time of halting strikes on energy sites
and accused the other of violating the ceasefire.
Russia also conditioned its part in opening Black Sea shipping on the
U.S. lifting sanctions, which Kyiv dismissed.
Russian officials have greeted the results of the talks with optimism,
and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described it as a good
start, though some Ukrainian officials have expressed discontent.
“Something tells me this is more advantageous for the enemy,” Ukrainian
lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak told the Interfax Ukraine news agency.
Stopping fighting around Black Sea shipping routes
The U.S. said Tuesday it had reached a tentative agreement with Ukraine
and Russia to stop fighting and ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea
in separate talks with the two sides.
Details of the deal were not released, including how or when it was to
be implemented and monitored, but it appeared to mark another attempt to
ensure safe Black Sea shipping after a 2022 agreement that was brokered
by the U.N. and Turkey was halted by Russia one year later, in July
2023.
Russia said the Black Sea deal announced Tuesday could only be
implemented after sanctions against the Russian Agricultural Bank and
other financial institutions involved in food and fertilizer trade were
lifted and their access to the SWIFT system of international payments
was ensured.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting of the
supervisory board of the Movement of the First, Russian
public-and-state children and youth organisation, at the Russia
National Centre in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Vyacheslav
Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Zelenskyy said Moscow was lying about the terms of the agreement,
despite the U.S. later saying it would help restore Russia’s access
to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports.
It's unclear how the Black Sea deal would benefit Ukraine
While the benefits to Russia are clear, Ukrainian officials
questioned how the Black Sea deal announced Tuesday would profit
them. It isn’t clear, for instance, if it would also halt attacks on
Ukrainian ports.
“Personally, I don’t think this will significantly boost our export
capacity. Frankly speaking, thanks to Ukrainian naval drones, we
have considerably expanded our capabilities in the Black Sea,”
Ukrainian lawmaker Zhelezniak said.
That's because Ukraine took matters into its own hands after Russia
backed out in 2023 of the earlier deal to ensure safe Black Sea
shipping. Ukraine carved out a trade route requiring ships to sail
near the coast lines of Bulgaria and Romania, guided by the
Ukrainian Navy. At the same time, Ukrainian forces launched a
campaign of sea drone attacks to further push back Russia's fleet.
“Unfortunately,'' Zhelezniak said, the new deal "worsens our
position in terms of influence in the Black Sea.”
Trading blame over halting of energy strikes
The ceasefire also included a halt to long-range strikes on energy
infrastructure, but sharp differences emerged immediately after
Tuesday's announcement over when the halt to fighting would begin.
Moscow said the ceasefire had started on March 18 and accused Kyiv
of violating the terms by striking energy sites inside Russia, a
charge that Ukraine’s General Staff denied on Wednesday.
The Kremlin later posted a list of the types of facilities covered
by the limited ceasefire.
It included refineries, oil and gas pipelines, oil storage
facilities, including pump stations, power-generating and
transmitting infrastructure, as well as power plants, substations,
transformers, distribution switchgear, nuclear power plants and
hydropower plant dams.
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