US: Ukraine and Russia agree to ensure maritime safety in the Black Sea

In separate talks with the United States, Russia and Ukraine agreed to ensure maritime safety, rule out the use of force and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.

A ship carrying grain from Ukraine passes through the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Türkiye, August 7, 2022. (Photo: Xinhua)

On March 25, the US said it had separate agreements with Ukraine and Russia to ensure maritime safety in the Black Sea and not attack energy facilities in the two countries.

The White House statement said that in separate talks with the US in Saudi Arabia, Russia and Ukraine agreed to ensure maritime safety, eliminate the use of force and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea .

In addition, Washington will help restore access to world markets for Russian agricultural and fertilizer exports and will continue to facilitate negotiations on both sides to achieve lasting peace .

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said delegations from Russia and the US had held technical consultations in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and sent reports to the leaders of each side. The results of the negotiations will not be announced.

"Technical - that is, the negotiations will go into details, so, for sure, the content of these negotiations will not be made public," Mr. Peskov emphasized...

Currently, the reports sent by the delegations to the Kremlin and the White House are being analyzed. Only then will further information be available.

On the same day, TASS news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump had been informed of the results of the Russia-US consultations in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. The focus of these discussions was ensuring maritime safety in the Black Sea.

Russian negotiators have drawn the US's attention to the reasons for Russia's withdrawal from the deal, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and said Moscow hopes "there will be no ambiguity this time."

In case Russia resumes participation in the agreement, it needs to see clearly defined guarantees.

Meanwhile, Interfax news agency quoted Russian Senator Vladimir Chizhov as saying that Russia and the US did not adopt a joint statement after 12 hours of negotiations in Saudi Arabia on March 24 due to Ukraine's stance.

US and Russian officials ended a day of talks focused on a small maritime ceasefire proposal between Kiev and Moscow, part of a diplomatic effort Washington hopes will help pave the way for broader peace talks.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/my-ukraine-va-nga-nha-tri-dam-bao-an-toan-hang-hai-o-bien-den-post867702.html