Ukraine proposes Black Sea truce to protect food shipments

Ukraine has sent Russia a proposal to halt attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea, as weeks of intensified strikes on vessels and ports raise fears of a global food price shock. Moscow has yet to respond.

A Truce Offer Amid Escalating Maritime Attacks

The offer was transmitted via a third party, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Both countries have warned in recent weeks that the other's attacks on grain shipments and maritime infrastructure could disrupt global food supplies.reuters

Before the report emerged on Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said Moscow had received no formal ceasefire proposal for the Black Sea. "Recently, we have been hearing many calls for various kinds of moratoriums and truces. These ideas are being put forward through various channels, but we have not received any formal proposals," he said, according to Russia's state news agency TASS.unn+1

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that a proposal had been conveyed to both Russia and Ukraine for a moratorium on Black Sea attacks, suggesting Ankara has been playing a mediating role in the effort.reuters

Zelensky's Mystery Plan

The Black Sea proposal comes as a separate, broader Ukrainian strategy to pressure Russia into ending the war remains unclear even to Washington. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on August 12 that Kyiv and its international partners had developed a joint plan. "Putin does not want to stop this war, but he will stop it. We have a plan," Zelensky said.yahoo

A U.S. official told the Kyiv Independent that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a call with Ukrainian officials on August 11, during which the plan was mentioned but not shared in detail. "(Witkoff and Kushner) haven't seen it yet," the official said. The plan is expected to be presented when the envoys visit Kyiv later this month.yahoo

Stalled Diplomacy, Rising Pressure

Peace talks have remained frozen since the U.S. began its military campaign against Iran in February. Russia continues to demand Ukrainian withdrawal from parts of the Donbas as a precondition for any agreement, while Kyiv has argued that freezing the current front line would be the most realistic basis for a ceasefire.yahoo

Russia has signaled it considers battlefield developments more important than negotiations. The two sides remain divided over territorial concessions and security guarantees, and Russia has been slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine throughout 2026. Ukrainian leaders hope the active phase of the war could end before winter, when Moscow could again target Ukraine's energy infrastructure.cfr+1