Russia and Ukraine agree ceasefire in Black Sea, White House says

INA-  SOURCES


Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea, the White House announced on Tuesday, following talks in Riyadh. 

According to the two White House statements – one concerning Russia, the other Ukraine – both sides have agreed "to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea."

If it holds, the deal would mean an end to naval hostilities in the Black Sea, on which Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia all have coastlines.

However, the US-brokered agreement does not put a stop to the land war, where the bulk of the fighting is taking place.

Russia and Ukraine also agreed to "develop measures" for implementing an earlier agreement to end strikes on Ukrainian and Russian energy infrastructure. They also pledged to "continue working toward achieving a durable and lasting peace."

The agreement commits the US to helping secure prisoner exchanges and the release of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, and to helping Russia regain access to the global market for agricultural and fertiliser products.

The Black Sea theatre provided one of the early defining moments of the war, when the Russian Navy attacked Snake Island in the west. A Ukrainian border guard defending the island purportedly told a Russian officer, via radio, "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

The moment became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, and the country's border guard service later tried, unsuccessfully, to register it as a trademark in the EU.




SOURCE: euractiv