The US is awaiting a report from Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev for President Vladimir Putin before both sides move on to the next stages of negotiations. This was reported by Bloomberg, citing a source familiar with the situation.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Journalists note that American officials are increasingly frustrated with Moscow’s slow pace in the negotiations. What seemed like a breakthrough last week regarding a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea quickly lost relevance as Russian representatives stated that this issue depends on the lifting of sanctions. This position contradicts the US statement outlining the terms of the agreement.
Discussions and Meetings
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian representative Dmitriev met in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday, just days after US President Donald Trump expressed his frustration over the lack of progress in ceasefire negotiations in the war in Ukraine.
After the meetings, Dmitriev noted:
“Steve was really focused on finding solutions. I think there is an understanding of how we can move towards finalizing the agreement, and there has been a lot of discussion in that direction.”
Demands and State of Negotiations
After negotiations with the American side in Riyadh, the Kremlin stated on March 25 that the agreement on ensuring the safety of shipping in the Black Sea would only come into effect after a number of sanctions against Russia were lifted, including sanctions against the Russian state bank Rosselkhozbank and other organizations involved in international trade in food and fertilizers.
On March 28, Bloomberg reported that Russia is demanding the European Union restore Rosselkhozbank’s connection to the international banking system SWIFT as a condition for implementing the Black Sea ceasefire, which will test the response of the United States and the support of European partners regarding the easing of sanctions. In Europe, it is believed that it is still too early to lift restrictions on Russia.
On March 11, US representatives received Ukraine’s agreement for a 30-day ceasefire. Although Putin did not dismiss this idea, he put forward his demands. Ukraine and Russia are also exchanging accusations of violating the terms of the partial ceasefire, particularly regarding strikes on each other’s energy facilities.