LONDON — The success of a nascent potential settlement between Ukraine and Russia to pause naval and vitality infrastructure assaults will rely upon Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, warning that Kyiv has no belief for Russian President Vladimir Putin after greater than three years of full-scale warfare.
“Now, outcomes are wanted from Russia,” Zelenskyy stated in his night handle on Tuesday. “We don’t belief them. And admittedly — the world would not belief Russia. And so they should show that they’re actually prepared to finish the warfare — able to cease mendacity to the world, to President [Donald] Trump and to America.”
“How Russia behaves within the coming days will reveal so much — if not all the things,” he stated.
“If there are air raid alerts once more, if there’s renewed army exercise within the Black Sea, if Russian manipulations and threats proceed — then new measures will have to be taken, particularly in opposition to Moscow,” Zelenskyy stated.
A employee cuts steel buildings throughout restore works of a substation destroyed by a Russian drone strike in undisclosed location in Ukraine on March 25, 2025.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Russia and Ukraine “agreed to make sure protected navigation, get rid of the usage of power and forestall the usage of industrial vessels for army functions within the Black Sea,” in accordance with White Home readouts, revealed Tuesday after three days of conferences with representatives from Kyiv and Moscow in Saudi Arabia.
The nations additionally agreed to “develop measures to implement the settlement to ban strikes in opposition to vitality services in Russia and Ukraine,” the White Home stated. Trump stated, “We’re making plenty of progress.”
Drone strikes continued by way of Tuesday night time into Wednesday regardless of the obvious progress on a partial ceasefire settlement.
Ukraine’s air power stated Russia launched 117 drones into the nation in a single day, of which 56 had been shot down and 48 misplaced in flight. “Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad and Cherkasy areas had been affected by the Russian assault,” the air power wrote on Telegram.
In Russia, the Protection Ministry stated its forces downed 9 Ukrainian drones, together with two over the Black Sea. Within the western Belgorod area, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated a drone assault wounded one particular person and broke the home windows of a number of buildings.
Questions stay as to the nuances and extent of the agreements. Russia and Ukraine each launched their very own readouts emphasizing totally different parts of what was purportedly agreed with the U.S.
Russia for instance, stated the U.S. agreed to “assist restore entry to the world marketplace for Russian exports of agricultural merchandise and fertilizers,” plus to scale back the price of transport insurance coverage and broaden entry to ports and cost programs. Such steps would require the lifting of some sanctions on Russian agricultural and meals firms, the Kremlin stated.
That time was not mirrored within the Ukrainian readout. Kyiv’s announcement additionally stated the U.S. would assist with prisoner of warfare exchanges, the discharge of civilian detainees and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian youngsters — a subject not talked about within the Russian readout.
After Putin spoke with Trump final week, the White Home stated a proposed 30-day partial ceasefire would pause assaults on “vitality and infrastructure.” The Kremlin stated the settlement referred to “vitality infrastructure.” Tuesday’s White Home assertion reverted to the wording utilized by Russia.
Russia stated the proposed 30-day pause in assaults on vitality infrastructure started on March 18, and on Tuesday revealed a listing of services topic to the pause in strikes. Moscow stated both aspect might decide out of the freeze within the occasion of violations by the opposite. All nuclear and different energy vegetation, oil and fuel depots, pipelines and storage services, plus hydroelectric dams had been among the many services included.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to journalists throughout his press convention in Kyiv on March 25, 2025.
Genya Savilov/AFP through Getty Photos
Either side have accused the opposite of continuous to assault vitality and different vital infrastructure targets all through the ceasefire negotiations.
“I feel there shall be one million questions and particulars,” Zelenskyy stated shortly after the information was introduced.
Later, in his night video handle, Zelenskyy stated the onus for the success of the partial ceasefire is on Moscow.
“Diplomacy should work,” he added. “And from the Ukrainian aspect, we’re doing all the things to make that occur. I thank everybody who helps. I’m grateful to the US for the constructive and efficient work of our groups.”
ABC Information’ Patrick Reevell, Anna Sergeeva and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
