US and Russia Discuss Potential Black Sea Deal Amid Ceasefire Negotiations

US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff stated that Moscow and Washington are in talks regarding access to Black Sea ports and issues related to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) as part of their discussions on the Russian-Ukrainian war. Witkoff shared this in an interview with CBS News on March 16.

“There are regions that we all know the Russians are focused on. There is a nuclear reactor that supplies quite a bit of electricity to- to the country of Ukraine. That’s got to be dealt with. There’s access to ports. There’s the Black Sea potential agreement, there’s- there’s just- there’s so many elements,” Witkoff said.

According to Witkoff, there are “many elements” that need to be negotiated to reach a ceasefire agreement, but “no one is giving up.”

On March 13, Witkoff held talks in Moscow with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. He told CBS that during their three-to-four-hour meeting, they discussed “many concrete issues.” The Trump envoy noted that the meeting demonstrated the US had “narrowed down the key issues” between Russia and Ukraine and had made “significant progress.”

Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced plans to hold a phone conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on March 18.