France Safe sea? Russia demands lifting of sanctions
The attempts to gradually de-escalate the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine continue to bear little fruit.
26.03.2025, 05:03
SDA
While the USA, acting as mediator, announced that both warring parties would guarantee safe civilian shipping on the Black Sea, Moscow dropped a series of conditions. The Kremlin announced that such an agreement could only come into force once many sanctions against Russia had been lifted. US President Donald Trump then did not rule out the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin was deliberately playing for time.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is traveling to Paris today, where he is to be received by President Emmanuel Macron. The meeting is in preparation for a summit of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, to which Macron has invited supporters of Ukraine for Thursday. Under the leadership of France and the UK, they are working on a concept for security guarantees to ensure that a possible ceasefire in Ukraine holds and that Russia does not attack again.
Trump believes it is possible that Putin is deliberately delaying the ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire. The US President told the television channel Newsmax that he did not yet know for sure. However, he himself had sometimes done this himself when he was unsure about a treaty - in order to avoid having to sign immediately and "stay in the game, so to speak". At the same time, Trump emphasized that he was certain that both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders wanted to end the war.
Russian drone attacks again during the night
Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia's large-scale invasion with Western help for more than three years. On Thursday night, the Russian army attacked Ukraine again with swarms of combat drones, according to the Ukrainian air force. Selenskyj's home town of Krywyj Rih was particularly hard hit: the radio station Suspilne counted around 15 explosions in the industrial town in the south. There was initially no information on casualties or damage.
Moscow demands access to the Swift billing system
Following separate talks with representatives of Russia and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia, the USA initially announced an agreement on safe shipping traffic in the Black Sea. However, Moscow is demanding that the Russian state agricultural bank and other financial institutions first regain access to the international financial telecommunications system Swift, which had been taken away from them as a result of Western sanctions.
Russia is also demanding an end to the embargo on the import of agricultural technology and other goods necessary for the production of food and fertilizer. The Kremlin also wants to see various trade restrictions and sanctions lifted.
The USA has promised to support Moscow in the export of grain and fertilizer. However, lifting sanctions would also require agreements with the EU and other countries that have also imposed punitive measures due to the war of aggression. If Russia sanctions are weakened, this would be a significant victory for Moscow.
Selensky accuses Russia of manipulation
Even on the day of the negotiations, Russia was still trying to manipulate, said Zelensky in his evening video message. The US statement on the partial ceasefire at sea was very clear. "There is something that the Kremlin is lying about again: that the alleged ceasefire in the Black Sea depends on the issue of sanctions," said the Ukrainian president.
Lack of clarity regarding attacks on energy facilities
There is also a lack of clarity regarding the questionable halt to reciprocal attacks on energy facilities, although the Kremlin presented a list of such objects on Tuesday evening. According to the list, the ban on attacks applies to oil refineries, pipelines, pumping stations, oil and gas storage facilities, power plants and substations, nuclear power plants and hydroelectric power stations.
Moscow has been complying with this restriction since March 18, the Kremlin claimed. On that day, US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone.
"But the truth is that they have also been bombing our energy facilities with bombs, combat drones and FPV drones since March 18," wrote Selensky advisor Dmytro Lytvyn on the X network, adding that there were at least eight such cases. Lytvyn's statements could not be verified. The abbreviation FPV stands for "First Person View" and means that the drone is controlled by a pilot using an on-board camera from a perspective as if he were sitting in the cockpit himself.
Ukraine is prepared to accept this partial ceasefire, even though drone attacks on military objects and oil refineries deep in the Russian rear have been its most effective weapon in recent months.
European security guarantee probably only as airspace surveillance
With regard to the discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, Western supporters are currently considering above all monitoring a demilitarized zone - yet to be created - between the enemy lines from the air using technical means such as satellites and drones. According to the German Press Agency, naval units could also be deployed to monitor freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.
A peacekeeping force in the true sense of the word would possibly be mobilized via the United Nations and consist exclusively of soldiers from impartial third countries. European forces could then be stationed on Ukraine's western border and offer training programs for Ukrainian partners. The overarching security guarantor would be the nuclear superpower USA, which has so far rejected such a commitment.
Russia reaffirms claim to Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant
In view of Trump's recent advances, Russia reaffirmed its claim to the occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhya. "The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is a Russian nuclear facility," the Foreign Ministry in Moscow wrote in a statement. A return of Europe's largest nuclear facility to Ukraine or a transfer of control to another country is impossible. Joint use is also out of the question.
Trump had expressed interest in the nuclear industry in Ukraine several times in recent days. He also said that the USA, with its experience, could operate a Ukrainian nuclear power plant well. Zelenskyi merely confirmed that he had asked Washington for help to get Zaporizhia back.
