Sergey Lavrov: "Without the guarantees demanded by Russia, Ukraine's maritime trade remains blocked"

Russian representatives asked their American counterparts during negotiations held in Riyadh on Monday for clear guarantees so that the Kremlin authorities would allow the resumption of commercial traffic in the Black Sea to and from Ukraine, Sergey Lavrov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said yesterday in an interview with the television station Pervîi Kanal (Channel 1).

"As agreed in the recent telephone conversation between Presidents Putin and Trump, issues related to the safety of navigation in the Black Sea were discussed. Russia supports the resumption of the Black Sea Initiative (the initiative on commercial traffic for the export of Ukrainian grain), but in a form more acceptable to all. Moscow insists that the new peace initiative should not contain ambiguities and that Russia should receive clear guarantees. Russia does not trust that Ukraine will keep its promises regarding the resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and that is why we need guarantees. These guarantees from Ukraine could only exist as a result of an approach taken by the US. In order to restore Ukraine's commercial traffic, Moscow also wants no one to exclude grain and fertilizers produced in the Russian Federation from the European and global markets," said Sergei Lavrov, also quoted by the Russian daily Kommersant.

The Russian minister noted that this is not the first attempt in this regard. He recalled that the first was undertaken in July 2022, when UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, together with representatives of Russian and Ukrainian structures, agreed on a joint package.

According to the Russian Foreign Minister, the presidents of Russia and the United States are currently being reported on the conclusions of the negotiations.

Recall that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on March 24 that the meaning of the Black Sea initiative, discussed by Russia and the United States, is to ensure the safety of navigation in this maritime area. He noted that, within the framework of a previous similar initiative, most of the obligations assumed by other countries towards Russia were not fulfilled.