Just hours after the US announced last week that it had reached an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to stop the conflict in the Black Sea, Moscow presented its conditions for this partial truce. Moscow said it would comply with the truce only when these stipulations are met. This list of demands Russia presented to the US is a classic example of the delay tactics the Kremlin likes to use. But it also provides a helpful glimpse at Russian decision-making and Putin’s world view.
The agreement, as hashed out between the US and Russia, is pretty hollow. America insisted Russia agreed to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, eliminate the use of arms and stop using civil vessels for military purposes. There is no mention of protecting Ukrainian ports from Russian attacks. Without that, the agreement simply tips the balance back in Russia’s favour: earlier in the war, Ukraine successfully drove the Russian fleet out of the western part of the Black Sea, largely securing its commercial navigation, which is so essential for its exports.
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