‘Sanctions must be lifted’: Russia puts condition before Black Sea maritime ceasefire with Ukraine begins

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy said that US side informed him the ceasefire deal on Black Sea would be effective as soon as they were announced, but the Kremlin put out its condition thereafter.

President Zelenskyy stated that the strikes were "a clear signal" Putin's Russia did not want peace. (Photos: The Canadian Press/ AP)

Russia and Ukraine agreed to Black Sea deal brokered by the United States on Tuesday but the Kremlin has put a condition stating sanctions must be lifted before the maritime ceasefire begins with Kyiv.

As the US announced that Moscow and Kyiv both have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the Black Sea region for maritime shipping in separate deals, Russia within hours said that strikes would be halted once sanctions on Russian banks were lifted.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the US side informed him the ceasefire deal on Black Sea would be effective as soon as they were announced, but the Kremlin put out its condition thereafter.

Last night, there were another 117 proofs in our skies of how Russia continues to drag out this war – 117 strike drones, most of them Shaheds. A significant number were shot down by our air defenders.

Dnipro, Sumy, Cherkasy, and other regions came under Russian attack. There… pic.twitter.com/q4WTj87IHG

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 26, 2025

The Russian demand includes cancelling sanctions imposed on state agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank and restoring the banks’ access to the Swift international payment system. But Europe has said that sanctions would not be revoked until Russia withdraws from Ukraine.

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“The end of the Russian unprovoked and unjustified aggression in Ukraine and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian military forces from the entire territory of Ukraine would be one of the main preconditions to amend or lift sanctions,” a European Commission spokesperson said, as quoted by Reuters.

Russia launched a drone strike overnight on the port city of Mykolaiv in Ukraine, Kyiv officials said as President Zelenskyy stated that the strikes were “a clear signal” Russia did not want peace.

US President Donald Trump, who wants a quick peace between Russia and Ukraine, put out two separate joint statements regarding the agreement of Black Sea maritime ceasefire, but neither document set out a clear timeline for their implementation.

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