Russia and Ukraine agree Black Sea ceasefire, but Zelensky says Russia is lying about terms

Summary

The White House says Russia and Ukraine have agreed to ensure safe passage for commercial shipping in the Black Sea and stop military strikes
Washington releases separate statements after American officials met representatives from both countries in Saudi Arabia
Russia says certain sanctions on banks, insurers, and food exporters must be lifted before the ceasefire comes into force
But President Zelensky accuses Russia of "lying again" about the terms of the deal
Our correspondent Frank Gardner - who was in Riyadh to report on the recent talks - says there are still many ways today's deal could unwind

Live Reporting

Edited by James Gregory

A partial ceasefire would still be considered progresspublished at 06:46 Greenwich Mean Time 25 March
Frank Gardner
Security correspondent, reporting from Riyadh
Image source, Frank Gardner/BBC
This has been an intense round of talks and negotiations here in Riyadh as the US delegation strives to achieve at least a partial ceasefire in this war.
The US team spent 12 hours yesterday closeted with the Russian team inside a luxury hotel.
Their talks focussed on reaching a ceasefire in the Black Sea where Ukraine’s missiles and underwater drones have severely damaged Russia’s navy.
Moscow is reportedly keen to revive a Black Sea grain deal that allows both countries, Russia and Ukraine, to export produce by sea, without being attacked.
Other topics, discussed in talks between the US and Ukrainian delegations, include naming certain energy plants to be off-limits for attack.
If even a partial ceasefire can be reached for these limited goals then these Riyadh talks will constitute progress.
Talks with US were useful, says Russian negotiatorpublished at 06:38 Greenwich Mean Time 25 March
Image source, Getty Images
Negotiations between Russia and the US in Saudi Arabia were "useful", Russian media cites a Kremlin negotiator as saying.
Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, who took part in the talks in Riyadh, tells Russia's state-owned news agency Tass: "[We] discussed everything, and the dialogue was detailed and complex but quite useful for us and for the Americans."
He adds: "We discussed numerous issues."
US and Russia expected to make joint statement after Saudi talkspublished at 06:35 Greenwich Mean Time 25 March
Ben Hatton
Live reporter
The US and Russia are expected to release a joint statement today, the BBC's US partner, CBS News, reports.
Delegations from the US, Ukraine and Russia have been holding talks at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Saudi Arabia for the past two days.
Washington is attempting to broker a ceasefire, and despite the negotiations being carried out in the same hotel, the Ukrainian and Russian delegations are not meeting one another.
The US team spent Monday locked in talks with the Russian delegation - top of the agenda was reportedly the revival of a 2022 deal allowing ships to freely navigate in the Black Sea.
The two are expected to release a statement at around 08:00 GMT.
Meanwhile, in DC yesterday, Trump told reporters he expects a deal giving US firms access to Ukrainian critical minerals will be signed "very soon".
We'll be bringing you updates, analysis and reaction as events unfold today - stick with us.