Ukraine-Russia peace deal: What's the agreement brokered by US? Why two sides remain sceptical?

The United States reached separate agreements with Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday to halt attacks at sea and against energy targets, the first formal commitments by the warring nations since President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.

What are the terms of agreement?

The White House announced that both sides “agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.”

The US-Russia deal goes further than its Ukrainian counterpart, with Washington committing to support the removal of international sanctions on Russian agriculture and fertilizer exports, a longstanding Kremlin demand.

"The United States will help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions," White House statement read.

The White House also said that the Russia and Ukraine agreed to develop measures for implementing the "agreement to ban strikes against energy facilities of Russia and Ukraine."

While the timeline for implementing the maritime security arrangements remains unclear, the agreements signal Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine, now in its third year since Russia’s full-scale invasion, and pursue a rapid thaw in US- Russia relations.

Details of the prospective arrangement were not disclosed, but it appears to build on a 2022 UN- and Turkey-brokered Black Sea shipping deal that Russia abandoned a year later.

“We are making a lot of progress,” Trump said Tuesday at the White House. “There’s a lot of hatred, as you can probably tell, and it allows for people to get together, mediated, arbitrated, and see if we can get it stopped. And I think it will work.”

Ukraine, Russia cast doubt

The Kremlin, however, quickly cast doubt on the agreements, saying they would not take effect unless some Russian banks regained access to the international financial system.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy countered that the deals required no sanctions relief to begin and should take effect immediately.

Speaking at a news conference in Kyiv, he accused Moscow of attempting to “manipulate” the arrangements.

“The US side considers that our agreements come into force after their announcement,” Zelenskyy said, expressing distrust in Russia’s willingness to comply.

In his nightly video address, he added, “Unfortunately, even now, even today, on the very day of negotiations, we see how the Russians have already begun to manipulate. They are already trying to distort agreements and, in fact, deceive both our intermediaries and the entire world.”

Despite his skepticism, Zelenskyy hailed the talks as “the first steps” toward a broader ceasefire and a “sustainable and fair peace agreement.”

He asserted that Ukraine would implement the accords but warned that Russia would face a “strong response” if it violated them.

Both Kyiv and Moscow expressed reliance on Washington to enforce the deals while voicing doubts about the other’s commitment.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted on “clear guarantees” from the US, citing past failures with Ukraine-only agreements.

“The guarantees can only be the result of an order from Washington to Zelenskyy and his team,” he said.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said that if Russia breached the deals, he would urge Trump to impose additional sanctions on Moscow and supply Ukraine with more weapons. “We have no faith in the Russians, but we will be constructive,” he said.