Russia agrees to several ceasefire conditions

US and Russian officials held another consultation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia earlier this week. The result is probably another small step towards it, rather than the complete ceasefire that President Donald Trump is hoping for.

We and Russian officials agreed that fighting parties would stop military strikes over Black Sea vessels, according to the White House talks. “The United States and Russia have agreed to ensure safe voyages, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea,” the statement reads.

Russia has also agreed to formulate measures to implement previous agreements between President Trump and President Vladimir Putin to halt strikes against Ukraine and Russia's energy facilities. On March 18, Putin agreed to a ceasefire on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Translation from the perspective of the Kremlin agreement even showed that the Russian president gave orders for immediate implementation. However, it appears that neither side actually adheres to the contract.

Sanctions halt

This week's talks also led to an agreement that the US will work to pave the way for Russia to re-enter the global market. According to the White House read:

The US will help Russia restore access to global markets for agricultural and fertilizer exports, reduce maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been hit by thousands of sanctions designed to discourage the economy, military industry and energy sector. The US leveled most of the sanctions over 6,000, while Canada, Switzerland, the European Union, France, the UK, Australia and Japan each issue at least 1,000 sanctions against Russia.

We and Russian officials said they will continue to strive to achieve lasting peace.

The Trump administration is facing criticism that it is not just the president of Ukraine, but also that it is with the Kremlin in these talks. The Wall Street Journal editorial board published an editorial on Monday entitled “Steve Witkoff Takes the Kremlin's Side.” The WSJ editor criticized Witkov for saying that Putin did not want to overrun Europe or dominate Ukraine. Witkov also got a feverish effort to protect Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, saying that the region is mostly Russian anyway.

The main question regarding these consultations is whether Putin is serious about peace or whether he just dragged the process out to allow Russia to acquire Ukraine forever.

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