U.S. Weighs Lifting Sanctions to Support Black Sea Ceasefire Deal, Trump Says

The United States is considering easing additional sanctions on Russia to support the implementation of a Black Sea ceasefire agreement, Orda reports, citing The Kyiv Independent.

U.S. President Donald Trump made this statement on March 25 following talks between Russian and American officials in Saudi Arabia.

The ceasefire deal includes a halt to military actions in the Black Sea and a ban on strikes targeting energy infrastructure. As part of initial U.S. commitments, Washington pledged to help Russia regain access to global markets for agricultural and fertilizer exports, reduce maritime insurance costs, and facilitate access to ports and payment systems.

However, the Kremlin later clarified that the ceasefire will only come into effect once sanctions on Rosselkhozbank and other key Russian financial institutions are lifted and access to the SWIFT banking system is 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, responding to a question about potentially lifting further sanctions on Russia.

Moscow has also demanded the removal of restrictions on Russian food producers, exporters, and vessels operating in food and fertilizer trade. Additionally, it calls for inspections of commercial vessels operating in the Black Sea.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that Kyiv believes the partial ceasefire covering the Black Sea and energy infrastructure should begin on March 25 — a timeline that appears to conflict with Russia’s stated conditions.