The long -long road to Russia, Ukraine, stops shooting

Three days after the talks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, finally some progress.

Two separate texts show agreements between the United States, Russia, the United States and Ukraine.

There were some differences, but many were. All parties have agreed to “ensure safe mobility, eliminate force use, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.”

They also agreed to “develop implementation measures … the agreement to prohibit strikes against energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine.”

President Zelinski expressed no clear ban on civilian infrastructure attacks, but he seemed widely satisfied.

He told reporters Ukraine will implement the suspension of the Black Sea and Energy immediately.

He also received a reference to his agenda with the United States, saying that “he will remain committed to helping to achieve the exchange of war prisoners, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of the Ukrainian children transferred by force.”

But then a third document came, issued by the Kremlin, which determined the water.

It has imposed conditions that did not appear in the original agreement between the United States and Russia.

She said that the ceasefire in the Black Sea will not come into effect until when the sanctions were lifted on Russian banks, insurance companies, companies, ports and ships that would allow them to export more agriculture and fertilizer goods.

In other words, they saw this deal not only as a revival of the old marine grain initiative from which they withdrew in 2023, but also an opportunity for a large number of economic sanctions to decline.

However, it may take to do so for some time and thus delay any marine endowment.

It may also not be in the United States’ gift completely to make all the changes that Russia requested.

For example, any return to the fast financial correspondence system will require the approval of the European Union.

The Kremlin also said that the temporary suspension of 30 days on the power strikes will be dated to start on March 18 and can be suspended if one side is violated.

In other words, what was agreed upon is a fragile step towards some contraction of the fighting in Ukraine, but without ensuring success amid an atmosphere of mutual lack of confidence.

Even if today’s agreement to survive, it is still far from the ceasefire at the country’s comprehensive level of the United States originally.

The ceasefire is often said to be operations, not events. This is true as it was ever for this agreement.

What matters is not to announce any ceasefire, but if and how it is implemented. In other words, the pudding guide will be in eating.

Will both sides make this deal working and up to it? Because in the answer to these questions, we will learn a lot about what the two sides really want.

Do they want a ceasefire turning into a long -term peace? Or do they just want to trade while pressing their interest in the battlefield?