Donald Trump’s administration reached deals with Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday, March 26th, aiming to pause their mutual strikes over the Black Sea. In contrast, there are still no serious updates from the ‘coalition of the willing.’ Brussels has been keen to point out there is no end yet to all fighting—but the talks still are potentially a step closer to peace.
To date, top European Union diplomat Kaja Kallas has had little to say about this latest development, despite effectively dismissing the previous ceasefire meeting—on the halting of strikes against energy infrastructure targets—as a failure. Her silence might be down to criticism from Brussels officials who believe she has been “acting like a prime minister” by freelancing (not to be confused with freeloading).
There has been some criticism of Washington’s commitment to helping lift international sanctions on Russian agriculture and fertiliser exports, which the Kremlin called a precondition to the agreements coming into effect. Restoring links between Russia and the SWIFT international payments system could also be on the cards, although such steps might have to involve the EU—and Brussels could well refuse.
Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt, who is now co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, described the talks as “another win for Russia” and claimed even on its own terms, the limited ceasefire “doesn’t change much at all.”
Asked whether he believed Russia was trying to delay the end of the war, Trump accepted that
It could be they’re dragging their feet. I’ve done it over the years.
But he added, “I think Russia would like to see it end, and I think [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky would like to see it end at this point.”
Zelensky himself said that “from the Ukrainian side, we are doing everything to make that happen,” and stressed it is now up to Russia to deliver results.
How Russia behaves in the coming days will reveal a lot—if not everything. If there are air raid alerts again, if there is renewed military activity in the Black Sea, if Russian manipulations and threats continue—then new measures will need to be taken, specifically against… pic.twitter.com/godMMN8d3K
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 25, 2025
No date has yet been announced for the next round of peace talks—which some observers see as a Saudi victory—although Trump’s administration maintains that a full ceasefire can be reached “in weeks.”
