U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his belief that Russia wants to end its war with Ukraine but suggested that Moscow may be deliberately slowing the process. His remarks came after the Kremlin contested claims made by the U.S. regarding agreements reached in recent negotiations.
Russia stated that it would only abide by a U.S.-brokered deal to halt the use of force in the Black Sea if certain sanctions on its banks and exports—imposed due to its invasion of Ukraine—were lifted.
Following separate talks with Ukrainian and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, the White House announced on Tuesday that both sides had agreed to “ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.”
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine had agreed to refrain from using military force in the Black Sea, the Kremlin issued its own statement, attaching broader conditions to the partial truce. These included lifting sanctions on Russia’s agricultural bank and other financial institutions, as well as restoring their access to the SWIFT international payments system.
The U.S. statement, however, made no mention of lifting sanctions as a precondition for the agreement.
“I think Russia would like to see it end, and I think Zelensky would like to see it end at this point,” Trump stated.
Regarding Russia’s demands, Trump said his administration was reviewing them: “We’re considering all of them right now. There are five or six conditions, and we’re looking at all of them.”
The White House also indicated that both Russia and Ukraine had agreed to pause attacks on energy infrastructure, a measure previously announced. However, the details remain unclear.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that Russia had stopped targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure from March 18, following a phone conversation between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which they discussed the proposal.
However, Ukraine has accused Russia of continuing attacks in the past week, with a Zelensky aide reporting at least eight strikes.
