Ukraine proposes cease-fire on Black Sea civilian shipping to Russia
Kyiv has offered a reciprocal halt to attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea, seeking to reopen a key grain corridor, while Moscow has not yet responded.
Ukraine has conveyed a proposal, through an intermediary, to Russia that both sides stop targeting civilian ships in the Black Sea. The suggestion aims to revive a vital grain corridor used for exporting wheat, sunflower oil and other foodstuffs. Moscow has not publicly answered the offer.
Since July, Ukrainian drones have struck roughly 220 vessels in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, prompting Russia to suspend commercial shipping through the Kerch Strait canal that links the Caspian Sea to the Azov. The waterway is a major export route for both countries.
During the same period, Russian attacks on Ukrainian southern ports have intensified, affecting the flow of grain that largely departs from Odesa and nearby harbours. Casualties include sailors from several nations killed when a Turkish-owned grain carrier was hit.
The Ukrainian overture is presented as a pragmatic step to restore shipments critical to global food security as the harvest season begins and Ukrainian port activity remains minimal. It follows reports that U.S. Vice President JD Vance urged President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to curb strikes on the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, citing concerns about oil tanker attacks.
Zelenskyy’s office has not commented on the proposal. Ukraine continues to negotiate with the United States for additional air-defence systems while its unmanned systems have paused attacks on Kazakh oil tankers but maintain pressure on other Russian targets, including Novorossiysk.
The two parties previously signed a UN- and Turkey-brokered maritime cease-fire under the Black Sea grain initiative, which operated from July 2022 until July 2023 before the Kremlin declined renewal, alleging that Western sanctions harmed Russia’s agriculture sector.