Russia claims that before a maritime ceasefire in Ukraine can begin, sanctions must be removed.

Russia has stated that before initiating a maritime ceasefire with Ukraine, certain Western sanctions must be removed. The Kremlin noted that the ceasefire would only occur after sanctions were imposed on several Russian banks just hours after the United States announced that the two sides had reached separate agreements to halt strikes in the Black Sea.

Restoring the companies’ access to the Swift international payment system and lifting the restrictions placed on the state agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank are among the demands.

According to Ukrainian officials, Moscow launched a drone attack on the port city of Mykolaiv overnight. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strikes as “a clear signal” that Russia did not want peace.

The EU and its allies blocked several Russian financial institutions’ access to Swift following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The goal was to prevent Russian businesses from using Swift’s typical seamless, immediate transactions, which would interfere with payments for its priceless energy and agricultural exports.

EU approval would be required to reverse that decision, which would seem uncertain given recent European declarations of support for Kyiv.

According to a spokesman for the European Commission, one of the primary requirements for lifting or modifying any sanctions would be the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that Russia might be attempting to postpone the end of the conflict.

“I believe Russia wants it to stop, but they might be taking their time. In an interview with Newsmax, he stated, “I’ve done it over the years.”

Following three days of peace negotiations in Saudi Arabia, the United States announced the maritime ceasefire.

On the specifics of the agreement, such as when and how it would take effect, Kyiv and Moscow subsequently issued contradictory statements. Zelensky stated that he believed the deal would take effect immediately and didn’t require sanction relief.

He described the statement from the Kremlin as an effort to “manipulate” the agreements.

The maritime ceasefire would give Russia a significant advantage, as it is currently experiencing difficulties exporting its agricultural products, according to Dr. Jenny Mathers, a senior professor of international politics at Aberystwyth University and an expert on Russian politics.

Russia is not currently using the Black Sea because Ukraine has been able to successfully target Russian shipping and export a significant amount of its agricultural produce through the Black Sea,” Dr. Mathers stated.

Black Sea grain deal in peril as UN, Turkey await Russia’s response.

As a counterbalance to the approval of the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed commercial ships to pass safely to and from Ukraine, UN officials negotiated Russia’s access to its exports of food and fertilizer to global markets.

Russia withdrew from the agreement in the summer of 2023, citing economic sanctions for choking its exports.

In a statement issued on Wednesday following the announcement of the deal on Tuesday, Washington said that all parties would proceed towards “a durable and lasting peace.” The deal would also revive a vital trade route.

Russia and Ukraine also agreed to implement policies to uphold a previous agreement to refrain from striking one another’s energy facilities, the White House stated. The Black Sea shares its border with Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey to the north and lies to the south of Ukraine and west of Russia.

It also shares borders with Crimea and other parts of Ukraine, which are presently under Russian occupation.

After the 2023 withdrawal of Russia from the grain deal, Russia announced that it would treat any ship approaching Ukraine as a possible military target, even though the Black Sea is a vital shipping lane for Ukrainian cargo.

Ukraine’s exports of grain later returned to prewar levels after declining when Kyiv discovered alternative export routes.