Russia Says A New Black Sea Deal Possible Under Certain Conditions

US and Russian officials held discussions earlier this week in Saudi Arabia about a potential agreement on navigation safety in the Black Sea between Russia and Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated in an interview with state media on Tuesday.

The White House confirmed that the talks, which took place in Riyadh on Monday, were focused on securing a maritime truce in the Black Sea as part of a broader diplomatic initiative by Washington aimed at facilitating peace negotiations.

Lavrov told state-run Channel One that the talks concluded with their preliminary outcomes now being communicated to both the Russian and U.S. presidents.

Months after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the sides reached a UN- and Turkey-mediated agreement, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed Ukraine to safely export grain.

Russia withdrew from the deal a year later, citing violations of its terms. In response, Ukraine established its own Black Sea export corridor by driving the Russian Navy away from contested waters with costly attacks.

Lavrov said any new Black Sea deal, which would ease restrictions on Russia’s agricultural exports, would depend on the United States “ordering” Ukraine to accept it.

The senior diplomat added that Russia favors resuming Black Sea shipping “in a way that’s more acceptable for everyone” and called for “clear, specific, verifiable, and working guarantees and mechanisms.”

“Russia will need clear guarantees when resuming the Black Sea initiative, which can only be achieved on Washington’s orders to [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky,” Lavrov said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin said it was not ready to publicly discuss the details of the talks in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s now a matter of technical negotiations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "Technical means discussions that delve into the details, so, of course, the content of these negotiations will definitely not be made public.”

Peskov added that Kremlin officials were “analyzing” reports drafted by Russian delegates who attended the talks in Riyadh, and “only after that can we talk about any understanding.”

Ukrainian and U.S. officials met in Saudi Arabia shortly after talks with representatives from Russia ended, AFP reported, citing a Ukrainian source who said “details will be announced later.”