'Putin is a liar': Kyiv residents doubt maritime, energy ceasefires will hold

Record ID: 1986135

  • Title: 'Putin is a liar': Kyiv residents doubt maritime, energy ceasefires will hold
  • Date: 26th March 2025
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 60-YEAR-OLD KYIV RESIDENT, VOLODYMYR BONDARENKO, SAYING: "The enemy is treacherous and can disrupt it (the ceasefire) at any moment. Therefore, we hope for the help of our strategic partner, the United States, and first and foremost from the European Union, which has now begun to help us more lately." (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 37-YEAR-OLD PEDIATRIC DE
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Putin Trump Zelenskiy black sea ceasefire energy system war in Ukraine
  • Location: KYIV, UKRAINE
  • City: KYIV, UKRAINE
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe,Military Conflicts
  • Reuters ID: LVA002172226032025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Kyiv residents said on Wednesday (March 26) that they doubted the announced ceasefire deals on energy infrastructure and the Black Sea would hold.
    Thirty-four year-old marketing worker Oleksandra Stepanova said she thought Moscow was appearing to negotiate to "win time" and regroup, while pediatric dentist Vitaliy Lyashenko, 37, called Russian President Vladimir Putin "the biggest liar in the world".
    The United States reached separate deals on Tuesday (March 25) with Ukraine and Russia, although the Kremlin said that a number of conditions must be met before they are activated.
    Washington has agreed to push to lift some sanctions against Moscow.
    While it was not clear when or how the Black Sea maritime security deals would start, the agreements are the first formal commitments by the two warring sides since President Donald Trump's inauguration.
    Trump is pushing for an end to the war in Ukraine and a rapid rapprochement with Moscow that has alarmed Kyiv and European countries.
    The U.S. agreement with Russia goes further than the agreement with Ukraine, with Washington committing to help seek the lifting of international sanctions on Russian agriculture and fertiliser exports, long a Russian demand.
    Shortly after the U.S. announcements, the Kremlin said the Black Sea agreements would not come into effect unless links between some Russian banks and the international financial system were restored.
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his understanding was that the truce agreements did not require sanctions relief to come into force and would take effect immediately, calling the Kremlin's statement an attempt to "manipulate" the deals.
    Kyiv and Moscow both said they would rely on Washington to enforce the deals, while expressing scepticism that the other side would abide by them.
    (Production: Manuel Ausloos, Taras Garanich, Margaryta Chornokondratenko, Felix Hoske)
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