Ukraine, Russia confirm immediate Black Sea and energy ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a truce covering the Black Sea and energy infrastructure was effective immediately on Tuesday and that he would seek more weapons and sanctions on Russia from Donald Trump if Moscow broke the deals.

The United States said earlier it had made separate agreements with Kyiv and Moscow to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea and to implement a ban on strikes against energy facilities in the two countries.

"If the Russians violate this, then I have a direct question for President Trump. If they violate, here is the evidence - we ask for sanctions, we ask for weapons, etc," Zelenskyy told reporters at a news conference in Kyiv.

Russia confirmed that it has agreed to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, and that Moscow had also agreed to develop measures to halt strikes on energy facilities for a period of 30 days that began on March 18.

The agreements represents the clearest progress yet towards a wider ceasefire that Washington sees as a stepping stone towards peace talks to bring an end to Russia's three-year-old conflict with Ukraine.

According to a Kremlin statement: "In accordance with the agreement between the presidents of Russia and the United States, the Russian and American sides agreed to ensure the implementation of the 'Black Sea Initiative', which includes ensuring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, non-use of force and prevention of the use of commercial vessels for military purposes while organizing appropriate control measures through inspection of such vessels."

Seeking to fulfil a pledge by President Donald Trump to end the war quickly, the U.S. originally proposed a full 30-day ceasefire - to which Ukraine agreed in principle on March 11 - as a step towards peace talks.

But the Americans held separate talks in Saudi Arabia with Russia and Ukraine this week to discuss more limited ceasefires on energy and at sea, after Putin responded to the wider truce plan with a long list of conditions and questions.