Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is ready to support a ceasefire in the Black Sea based on proposals put forward by Egypt, India and Turkey.
Zelenskyy said the ball is now in Russia’s court and that Kyiv is waiting for a response from Moscow.
“Ukraine is ready to guarantee safe navigation and food security in the Black Sea if Russia is also ready to take real steps toward reducing tensions,” he said.
The statement was made during the Ukraine “Crimea Platform” summit, held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
According to Reuters, Zelenskyy said Egypt, India and Turkey had presented options for restoring safe navigation for commercial vessels in the Black Sea.
Navigation in the region has been severely affected by the war, including attacks on vessels and port infrastructure. Ukraine is also seeking agreements that would halt attacks on energy infrastructure and maritime transport.
The security of the Black Sea is also important for global food markets, as several countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa depend on grain supplies from the region.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said that during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, they also discussed the possibility of a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire that would include energy targets.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that both sides had expressed interest in a limited ceasefire covering the energy and grain sectors.
However, the Kremlin has so far not publicly endorsed these proposals. Before the Rubio-Lavrov meeting, Moscow also said it currently saw no basis for broader peace talks, although it stated that it remained open to negotiations.
