Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the United States have reached an agreement to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea, while the departure of Russian warships outside the eastern part of the Black Sea will be considered a violation of the “spirit of the agreements.” About this reported Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who participated in the negotiations in Saudi Arabia.
“All parties agreed to ensure safe navigation (shipping), cease the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.
Importantly! The Ukrainian side emphasizes that Russia’s movement of its warships beyond the borders of the eastern part of the Black Sea will be considered a violation of the spirit of this agreement and will be considered as a violation of obligations to ensure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and a threat to the national security of Ukraine. In this case, Ukraine will have the full right to exercise the right to self-defense.”, the message says.
According to the results of the consultations, “all parties” supported the involvement of third countries to facilitate the implementation of energy and maritime agreements. The US also confirmed its readiness to assist in the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees and the return of forcibly removed Ukrainian children.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, noted that in case of violation of agreements on safe navigation in the Black Sea and cessation of shelling of energy infrastructure, the parties will appeal to the United States of America.
“For now, we have the following answer. If we see that someone is violating, we believe that we are contacting the American side through all our lines with the facts and evidence that the Russian side violated it.” – concluded Zelensky.
