Ukraine’s worst nightmare is coming true: Vladimir Putin has presented the bill to end his war – and Donald Trump is forcing Kyiv to pay it. After 12 hours of talks with seasoned Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia, the US delegation was so worn out and desperate for a win that they agreed to ease sanctions on Russia. In return, Moscow pledged not to bomb civilian vessels in the Black Sea and to halt strikes on energy and oil infrastructure if Kyiv does the same. But soon after the meeting ended, the Kremlin extended its list of demands.
Volodymyr Zelensky says this isn’t what Ukraine and the US agreed to
Trump’s administration vowed to help Russia regain access to global agricultural and fertiliser markets, lower maritime insurance costs and reopen ports and payment systems for its exports. Moscow then published its own, extended version of the agreement: the sanctions must be lifted from Russian food and fertiliser producers, exporters and shipping vessels; Russia’s Rosselkhozbank and other financial institutions must be reconnected to SWIFT; and restrictions on trade finance transactions must be removed.
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