In a landmark move toward de-escalation, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to halt attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure and suspend hostilities in the Black Sea, following separate U.S.-brokered deals announced on March 25, 2025.

These agreements, the first formal commitments between the two nations since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, reflect his aggressive push to end the three-year war and mend ties with Moscow—a strategy that has sparked alarm in Kyiv and Europe.

While the deals signal progress, their implementation is mired in mutual suspicion and conflicting demands.

Negotiated after parallel talks in Saudi Arabia and spurred by Trump’s recent calls with Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the agreements target key flashpoints. The energy truce pauses Russia’s devastating strikes on Ukraine’s power grid, which have left millions in the dark, and Ukraine’s retaliatory drone assaults on Russian oil refineries, a blow to Moscow’s war funding.

The Black Sea accord aims to secure maritime routes, reviving a priority disrupted by Russia’s 2022 blockade of Ukraine’s grain exports. Washington has committed to enforcing compliance, a role both sides grudgingly accept amid doubts about the other’s sincerity.

Tensions flared immediately as Russia conditioned the Black Sea deal on sanctions relief, including reconnecting its banks to global finance—a stance Zelenskiy decried as an attempt to “distort” the agreements, insisting they take effect without delay.

Trump, speaking to Newsmax, admitted Russia might be stalling, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov demanded ironclad U.S. guarantees, citing Kyiv’s history of broken promises. Though drone attacks continued post-announcement, no energy or maritime targets were hit, hinting at cautious adherence.

As Trump touts “tremendous progress,” the deals test his mediation amid deep-seated animosity, with Ukraine and its European allies wary of a hasty U.S.-Russia rapprochement that could compromise their security.