A Black Sea ceasefire has been agreed by Ukraine and Russia after both sides had separate talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia over the past two days. The White House also says the US “will help restore Russia’s access to the world market” for certain products. Follow the latest here.
Tuesday 25 March 2025 20:55, UK
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The UK has urged Russia to agree to the “full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire” proposed by Ukraine after both countries reached a truce covering the Black Sea and energy facilities.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the UK was in close contact with the US and Ukraine following the conclusion of talks in Saudi Arabia.
It thanked the US for its efforts brokering the ceasefire accords.
“President Zelenskyy has already shown Ukraine is the party of peace by proposing a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire,” the foreign office said.
“We hope that President Putin will agree to this without further delay.”
Russia’s foreign ministry says it is “impossible” to transfer control of Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant back to Ukraine or any other country.
Donald Trump has previously suggested he wants ownership of Ukraine’s four nuclear plants, including Zaporizhzhia.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would be ready to discuss US involvement in modernising the plant if it were returned to Ukraine, but that other plants belong to the Ukrainian people.
Russian forces stole control of the facility in early March 2022, a few weeks after it began its full-scale invasion.
Russian troops have killed a three-year-old girl and her mother in a playground in a Donetsk village, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
Shelling hit Kurtivka, also injuring the woman’s other daughter, aged 15, who was rushed to hospital.
“During the attack of the occupiers, the family was on the playground,” the prosecutor’s office said.
It said it has initiated a war crimes investigation.
Sky News cannot independently verify these battlefield reports.
By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
This is a hugely significant moment. For the first time in more than three years, Washington is lifting sanctions on Moscow instead of imposing them.
It’s the most tangible evidence yet of a US-Russia rapprochement and a crystal clear signal of Donald Trump’s intentions to turn Vladimir Putin, the pariah into Putin, the partner.
For now, they’re only talking about easing a handful of restrictions, so that Russia’s agricultural and fertiliser exports can return to global markets.
It’s important to point out that Russian food and fertiliser have in fact always been exempt from Western sanctions, but exports were disrupted by Russian banks’ exclusion from the SWIFT global payments system.
It has meant higher fees and delays in payments, even when it comes to cross-border trade with friendly nations.
That’s why Moscow wants sanctions to be lifted on Rosselkhozbank – the state-owned Russian agriculture bank – and for it to be reconnected to SWIFT.
One could argue that it’s just one brick in what is still a whole wall of sanctions surrounding Russia, but its removal will nevertheless be massively symbolic.
Ukraine’s Western allies were in lockstep when they built that wall – now its powerful supporter is starting the process of bringing it down.
What’s more, there’ll be fears that Moscow could abuse America’s charity here, particularly when it comes to one of the Kremlin’s other demands – lifting restrictions on the supply of agricultural machinery to Russia.
Restrictions were imposed on agricultural machinery due to some components being classified as “dual-use” goods, which could potentially aid Russia’s war machine.
What’s to say these fears won’t be realised? That parts meant for tractors and harvesters suddenly find their way into weapon production?
Washington might be happy to take Moscow’s word for it, but Kyiv certainly won’t be.
Watch: Trump insists Europe has been ‘freeloading’
Galling for Ukraine to see Russia’s first step back from cold
Perhaps the most galling thing for Ukraine and its European allies, however, will be that Vladimir Putin appears to have secured this without giving up very much at all.
Okay, Russia’s agreed to a maritime ceasefire. But it’s a long way short of a full ceasefire. And it’s something that was first agreed back in July 2022, with the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Russia withdrew from that deal in 2023, unhappy at the obstacles facing its food and fertiliser exports (sound familiar?), and since then attacks in the Black Sea have dropped off significantly.
In fact, Ukrainian grain exports are pretty much back at pre-war levels already.
So, a maritime ceasefire may not actually make that much of a difference to the conflict itself. The bigger impact will be in Washington and Moscow.
For Donald Trump, it’s something to show off – proof that he’s taken a step closer to peace. For Vladimir Putin, it’s Russia’s first step coming back in from the cold.
Donald Trump says his administration is “looking into” Russian requests to lift sanctions.
“We’re looking at all of them right now,” he added.
On the talks in general, he said: “We’ll see what happens, we’re in deep discussions with Russia and Ukraine. I would say it’s going well.”
Moscow has claimed the Black Sea ceasefire deal depends on Western sanctions being lifted on fertiliser and food companies, which Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed as false.
The Ukrainian leader said the ceasefire came into effect on its announcement earlier this afternoon.
The Kremlin has released a list of energy facilities it says come under a temporary moratorium on attacks.
It says the list was agreed by Russian and US delegations. This includes:
The moratorium is valid until 17 April and may be extended by mutual agreement, the Kremlin said.
“In the event of a violation of the moratorium by one of the parties, the other party has the right to consider itself free from obligations to comply with it.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the Kremlin is lying when it claims the Black Sea ceasefire will not come into force without the lifting of Western sanctions against Russia.
“Unfortunately, even now, even today, on the very day of negotiations, we see how the Russians have already begun to manipulate,” he said.
“They are already trying to distort agreements and, in fact, deceive both our intermediaries and the entire world.”
If they launch strikes there will be a strong response, the Ukrainian leader adds.
He has said the ceasefire came into effect immediately upon the US announcement earlier today.
But Moscow said it depends on sanctions against companies involved in food and fertiliser exports.
You can read further details in our post at 4.58pm.
The US, meanwhile, said it has agreed to “help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertiliser exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions”.
“The big winner here is Vladimir Putin,” says correspondent David Blevins.
“The detail around the ceasefire is vague. But the detail around the lifting of sanctions, not so vague.”
Moscow says there’s going to be no maritime truce until sanctions against its companies exporting food and fertiliser are lifted.
“There’s a vast difference between the two statements being issued by Ukraine and by Russia.”
Zelenskyy wants to focus on the use of third countries to implement and monitor the ceasefire, says Blevins.
“That suggests he not only doesn’t trust Vladimir Putin, he doesn’t trust Donald Trump either.”
Ultimately it’s going to come down to whether or not the deal is implemented and monitored appropriately.
“It’s progress, but it’s nowhere near the breakthrough to end the war that Donald Trump promised within 24 hours of taking office.”
Back in the UK, the Liberal Democrats have urged the government to “hold firm” on Russian sanctions despite signs the US could be about to ease restrictions on Moscow.
“Russia has terrorised Ukraine and has been rightly shunned by the UK and our allies,” said Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller.
“There is no basis for removing sanctions while Russia continues to occupy Ukraine and menace other countries.”
Miller continued: “Trump has had the wool pulled over his eyes if he thinks this Black Sea deal is a fair swap for lifting Russian sanctions.
“In Trump’s world, Putin can have his cake and eat it: restored Russian access to world markets while he continues to raze Ukraine.”
Both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin see a prolonged war as less risky than an unsatisfying settlement, according to the US director of national intelligence’s latest unclassified assessment.
The assessment, presented to the Senate today, is at odds with Donald Trump’s pledge for a rapid end to the war, Bloomberg reported.
Trump administration officials are aiming to reach a full ceasefire as soon as 20 April, the news outlet said.
But the report found Russia’s battlefield momentum allowed for “some strategic patience”, while for Ukraine, “conceding territory or neutrality to Russia without substantial security guarantees from the West could prompt domestic backlash and future insecurity”.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free