The United States and Ukraine 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.
The White House said this in a statement on the outcomes of the United States and Ukraine Expert Groups on the Black Sea in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 25, according to Ukrinform.
The United States and Ukraine also agreed to develop measures for implementing U.S. President Donald Trump’s and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s agreement to ban strikes against energy facilities of Russia and Ukraine.
Furthermore, the statement highlights that “the United States and Ukraine agreed that the United States remains committed to helping achieve the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.”
Both nations also welcomed the good offices of third countries with a view toward supporting the implementation of the energy and maritime agreements.
The statement also notes that “the United States reiterated to both sides President Donald J. Trump’s imperative that the killing on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict must stop, as the necessary step toward achieving an enduring peace settlement.”
To that end, the United States will continue facilitating negotiations between both sides to achieve a peaceful resolution, in line with the agreements made in Riyadh.
On Tuesday, March 25, delegations from Ukraine and the U.S. held another meeting in Riyadh following Ukrainian-U.S. negotiations on March 23 and U.S.-Russian discussions on March 24.
