On March 25, 2025, Ukraine and the United States held bilateral technical consultations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The agenda focused on several issues, including energy and critical infrastructure security, safe navigation in the Black Sea, and the liberation and reinstatement of Ukrainian prisoners and children. The meeting is part of a series of consultations launched by Ukraine and is described by Ukrainian officials as a continuation of previous discussions with the US in Jeddah. According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the consultations are being carried out in line with the President of Ukrainian direction to work towards fair peace and ensure the security of the country. Umerov said Ukrainian position in these discussions was honest, transparent and consistent.
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For Ukraine, access to the Black Sea is essential to maintaining commercial maritime routes, particularly for grain exports. Also, control over this region affects a wider security dynamic. (Photo source: Wikimedia)
In March 2025, the US and Ukraine were engaged in bilateral technical consultations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, aiming to promote peace efforts in the ongoing conflict with Russia. In these discussions, Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States, subject to Russian approval. The agreement led to the resumption of US military aid and sharing information with Ukraine. Ukrainian officials stressed that the success of the initiative relies on a commitment to stop Russian hostilities.
Then, on March 18, following a telephone conversation between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia agreed to a month-long suspension of attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and to begin negotiations for a broader ceasefire. These developments culminate in further negotiations involving US, Russian and Ukrainian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the focus on establishing a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and committing critical infrastructure security. The Jeddah consultation marked a pivotal moment in the peace process and set the stage for subsequent dialogues aimed at achieving a comprehensive and lasting resolution on the conflict.
The consultations led to a series of agreed results. First, all parties committed to ensuring safe voyages in the Black Sea, eliminating the use of force, and preventing the use of commercial vessels for military purposes. The Ukrainian delegation emphasized that the movement of Russian military vessels outside the eastern Black Sea was interpreted as a violation of the agreement’s intent and constituted a threat to Ukraine’s national security. In such circumstances, he said that Ukraine would consider itself a right to exercise its right to defend itself. Second, the parties agreed to begin developing measures to implement the President’s advance agreement to ban strikes on energy facilities in both Ukraine and Russia.
Third, all parties welcomed the involvement of third countries to support the implementation of energy and maritime arrangements. Fourth, participants stated their intention to continue their efforts to achieve lasting and durable peace. Fifth, the United States has repeatedly supported Ukraine in pursuit of the exchange of prisoners, the release of civil detainees and the return of forced Ukrainian children. To effectively implement these arrangements, the parties agreed that additional technical consultations are required to finalize operational details, monitoring mechanisms, and enforcement actions.
The Black Sea remains a strategically important region for both Ukraine and Russia. For Russia, the Black Sea Fleet plays a central role in maritime regulations, missile launch capabilities, and supporting military operations. The Crimean base, annexed by Russia in 2014, served as an important hub for naval operations. For Ukraine, access to the Black Sea is essential to maintaining commercial maritime routes, particularly for grain exports. Also, control over this region affects a wider security dynamic.
Since the conflict began in February 2022, Ukrainian forces have targeted and damaged a significant portion of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The Ukrainian attack reportedly destroyed or destroyed at least 24 Russian ships. This includes the sinking of the fleet’s flagship cruiser Moskva in April 2022. Mosqueba’s losses were the biggest for the Russian navy since World War II. Additional Ukrainian strikes have affected other naval assets. In March 2022, Lopcha-class landers Saratov, Caesar Knikov and Novocherkask were damaged during an attack at the Port of Beldianusk. On February 14, 2024, Caesar Kunikov reportedly sank into a non-black and white vessel in Ukraine. On September 13, 2023, a Ukrainian missile strike at Sevastopol Naval Base damaged another Ropcha class lander, Minsk, the Kilo class submarine.
As a result of these repeated strikes, Russia coordinated the deployment of the naval forces. Many of the ships have been moved from Crimea’s Sevastopol Base to Novorossk Port in the eastern Black Sea. By March 2024, the UK Department of Defense assessed that these ongoing attacks had made the Black Sea Fleet “functionally active.” The shift and change in attitudes indicate strategic changes by Russia in response to Ukraine’s maritime operations. The March 25 agreement took a step towards reducing the risks of the Black Sea. However, its durability depends on how the commitment is implemented and whether the parties maintain compliance with agreed terms. Further technical consultations are planned to clarify enforcement and monitoring measures related to the agreement reached in Riyadh.
