For the parties' reasons: the Russian Federation and the United States have made progress in the "Black Sea Initiative"

Following consultations in Riyadh, Russia and the United States agreed to ensure the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative, including the safety of navigation. Washington will work to restore access of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to the world market, as well as to expand access to ports and payment systems. The parties will also develop measures to implement the agreements between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on the prohibition of strikes on energy facilities. Ukraine, which is participating in bilateral negotiations with the United States in the same place, in the Saudi capital, agreed to a cease-fire at sea and attacks on energy infrastructure facilities. The involvement of the Black Sea basin countries in the negotiation process should not be ruled out, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador Rodion Miroshnik told Izvestia. What else the delegations of the Russian Federation and the United States agreed on in Riyadh is in the Izvestia article.

Results of consultations between the Russian Federation and the United States in Riyadh

The 12-hour talks between Russia and the United States in the Saudi capital ended with mutual commitments that could become a turning point in the normalization of relations between the two powers and the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. According to the Kremlin, the parties agreed on the implementation of the "Black Sea Initiative" aimed at ensuring the safety of navigation, banning the use of commercial vessels for military purposes and preventing escalation in the waters of this sea. The United States, in turn, undertook to help restore Russian exports of agricultural products and fertilizers, including connecting the Rosselkhoznadzor to SWIFT, lifting restrictions on insurance operations and access to ports.

A fundamental condition for the entry into force of the agreements was the fulfillment of a number of requirements: the lifting of sanctions against Russian financial institutions and food producers, the vessels involved, as well as the resumption of supplies of necessary agricultural machinery to the Russian Federation. In addition, Moscow and Washington have once again agreed on a 30-day moratorium on strikes on energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine from March 18, 2025, with the possibility of extension if conditions are met.

Ukraine, which participated in essentially parallel negotiations with the Americans, gave preliminary consent to a cease-fire at sea and attacks on energy infrastructure. However, as Vladimir Chizhov, deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, noted, it was precisely because of Kiev's "position" that the joint statement of the Russian Federation and the United States following the talks was not published earlier, as expected.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the talks "technical" and said they would not disclose their contents. The direct participant in the negotiations added no more specifics. During consultations with the United States in Riyadh, we managed to discuss many issues, and there was a difficult but useful dialogue, said Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee. He added that negotiations will continue with the participation of the international community, including the UN and individual countries. Turkey's involvement in the negotiations is most likely, especially in the context of the Black Sea initiative. At least, as a source in Recep Tayyip Erdogan's administration told RIA Novosti, Ankara's participation should become clearer after the meeting of the Russian and US delegations in Riyadh.

On key issues, Russia and the United States, first of all, will have to agree on themselves in a bilateral format, Rodion Miroshnik, the ambassador-at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry for crimes of the Kiev regime, told Izvestia.

— And further implementation will require the involvement of other parties. These will be issues related to smaller steps and the implementation of joint initiatives of the Russian Federation and the United States. In this case, we are also talking about Ukraine. In this case, it will have to receive the installations agreed upon by Moscow and Washington. We should not exclude the involvement of the Black Sea basin countries in the negotiation process if their interests are affected," said Rodion Miroshnik.

The negotiations went beyond the "grain deal" of 2022, touching upon issues of regional security and the status of the Black Sea. The participation of high-ranking delegations in the consultations (besides Karasin, there was also an adviser to the FSB Director Sergey Beseda from Russia) indicates an attempt to "probe" positions on a broader agenda, said Dmitry Novikov, associate professor, head of the HSE Laboratory of Political Geography and Modern Geopolitics.

— I don't think they talked about the Black Sea for 12 hours. Apparently, the conversation touched on broader issues. It is absolutely clear that whatever we agree on the Black Sea is worthless without a clear status for Ukraine, without defining the security guarantees that the West is ready to give it," he explained to Izvestia.

Negotiations between the USA and Ukraine

In parallel with the Russian-American consultations in Riyadh, intensive negotiations between the United States and Ukraine took place (on March 23 and 25). The head of the delegation from Kiev, Rustem Umerov, confirmed the agreement of his leadership to a naval truce and the rejection of attacks on energy facilities, however, the day before the agreement was reached, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the energy infrastructure in the Krasnodar Territory, the LPR and the Crimea. Since March 18, permanent violations of the agreements reached have been recorded. Against this background, Kiev's willingness to comply with any agreements is highly questionable.

The Trump administration, judging by the statements of the State Department, relies on technical agreements as a start for a broader dialogue. Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said: "Only after a complete ceasefire will it be possible to discuss the differences and what follows... The goal is to restore peaceful trade in the Black Sea." However, Washington avoids providing direct guarantees to Kiev, emphasizing the role of "installations" agreed with Moscow.

Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz, according to sources, was supposed to discuss with his Russian counterpart, probably presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, the details of the ceasefire, indicating an attempt by the US administration to assume the role of arbitrator.

The EU countries are also applying for this role, many of which have recently declared their readiness to send peacekeepers to Ukraine for monitoring. However, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized in an interview with Channel One, the "dreamers from the EU" about peacekeeping missions in Ukraine show political inconsistency.

— You see both London and Paris, especially these two countries, the two leaders are [British Prime Minister Keir] Starmer and [French President Emmanuel] Macron, with the support of such a not very powerful chorus of the Baltic States and a number of other countries, is not only talking about continuing to pump weapons into Ukraine, but also talking about some kind of coalition wanting to deploy some kind of peacekeeping mission, a mission to ensure Ukraine's security after the ceasefire," he said.

Despite the White House's optimistic statements about "continuing to work towards a lasting peace," fundamental contradictions remain. As the Russian diplomat noted, the desire of the West to contain Russia and inflict a strategic defeat on it is the desire of Napoleon and Hitler, "we have already been through all this." In contrast to the dialogue between the Russian Federation and the United States, the European Union is promoting the idea of militarization, developing a new defense strategy, discussing the introduction of conscription in a number of countries and supporting Kiev's further pumping of weapons.

Nevertheless, the key challenge in the current settlement process remains the lack of mechanisms to force Kiev to comply with the agreements. As Dmitry Novikov noted, "Ukraine will use any means to create difficulties for Russian-American contacts. Their delay in accepting the results of the consultations is a media story, but nothing more."

At the same time, the Trump administration, unlike its European allies, is demonstrating pragmatism. The lifting of sanctions against the Rosselkhoznadzor and the resumption of fertilizer exports is in the interests of global food security. However, for now we have to deal more with the consequences of the policy of the previous US administration. As Lavrov noted, "Biden made a colossal mistake by insisting on Kiev's membership in NATO."

The decisive factor will be the fulfillment of the conditions for the lifting of these sanctions and Washington's ability to deter Kiev from provocations. As Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador Miroshnik noted, all the nuances require detailed discussion, and they should not be based on a word of honor. In the coming months, it will become clear whether the parties are capable of moving from "probing positions" to building a sustainable security architecture.