President Donald Trump Mediates Temporary Ceasefire Between Ukraine and Russia; Full Ceasefire Talks May Begin Soon

President Donald Trump Mediates Temporary Ceasefire Between Ukraine and Russia; Full Ceasefire Talks May Begin Soon

Kyiv, Ukraine (AP) – After three days of intense negotiations, the Trump administration, Ukraine, and Russia have agreed to a limited ceasefire. However, there are some disagreements between the two parties regarding the main terms, which may lead to discussions on a complete ceasefire.

The negotiations primarily focused on the security of Black Sea shipping and halting attacks on energy infrastructure. These are issues that have been discussed in the past, with both sides having prior experience in these areas. However, the ceasefire has already faced several disputes and allegations.

Immediately following the announcement of the ceasefire, contradictory statements began to emerge. Disagreements have arisen regarding the start time of the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Russia has accused Ukraine of attacking energy infrastructure, which it claims violates the ceasefire terms. However, Ukraine's General Staff has denied these accusations.

Russia stated that its decision to ensure the security of Black Sea shipping will only be effective when U.S. sanctions are lifted. However, Ukraine has directly rejected this claim.

While Russian officials have expressed optimism about the discussions, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has referred to it as a "good start." However, Ukrainian parliament member Yaroslav Zheleznyak believes that "this agreement will benefit Russia more."

The United States has stated that it reached an agreement through separate negotiations with Ukraine and Russia to ensure the security of Black Sea shipping.

When will it take effect?

Previously, in 2022, a shipping security agreement was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, but Russia canceled it in July 2023.

Russia has said that the new agreement will only take effect once sanctions on Russian agricultural banks and other financial institutions are lifted and they are allowed to re-enter the international financial transactions system (SWIFT).

However, Zelensky has stated that Russia is lying about the terms of the agreement. Later, the United States said it would help ease market access for Russia's agricultural and fertilizer exports.

Impact of the Black Sea Agreement on Ukraine

It is unclear how beneficial this agreement will be for Ukraine. Ukrainian parliament member Zheleznyak stated:

"I personally don't think this will significantly increase our export capacity. Rather, due to Ukraine’s naval drones, we have already expanded our influence in the Black Sea."

He further commented:

"This agreement will have a negative impact on our ability to assert influence in the Black Sea."

Disagreement on Halting Attacks on Energy Infrastructure

The ceasefire includes a condition to halt attacks on energy infrastructure. However, there has been intense disagreement between Russia and Ukraine on this issue.

Russia claims that the ceasefire has been in effect since March 18, but Ukraine says it has not violated any conditions.