Peace, but at what price? Actions will matter more than words

25 March 2025, 19:46 | Updated: 25 March 2025, 22:23

Words. Lots of them.

Two statements from the White House - one about negotiations with Ukraine, another about negotiations with Russia.

A version from Ukraine's president and another from the Kremlin.

Follow live: Black Sea ceasefire deal reached after Saudi talks

Analysing the substance of the US-brokered agreement between Russia and Ukraine requires a sifting of the spin from all sides.

The read-outs from the White House are almost word-for-word, basically just swapping out the names of each country and each president.

But there are notable differences between Ukraine's take and Russia's take on what they each signed up to.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy focuses on the potential involvement of third countries to support the implementation of the agreements.

We know he does not trust Vladimir Putin, but it sounds like he doesn't trust Donald Trump either.

The Kremlin, on the other hand, focuses on the lifting of sanctions against companies exporting food and fertiliser.

In fact, Moscow says those sanctions must go before any ceasefire begins.

If that's what Moscow expects, there is one big winner: Mr Putin.

Explainer: What is in the Black Sea ceasefire deal

Ceasefires around energy infrastructure and in the Black Sea are progress, but not the peace Mr Trump promised, and at what price?

The man who said he would end the war within a day of taking office won't win the Nobel Peace Prize for this.

Asked how the ceasefire would be monitored, Mr Trump replied: "Well, they're going to get together.

"… there's tremendous animosity, there's a lot of hatred you can probably tell, and it allows for people to get together, mediate it, arbitrate it, and see if we can get it stopped, and I think it will."

More words, but ultimately it comes down to actions - the extent to which ceasefires are observed.

(c) Sky News 2025: Peace, but at what price? Actions will matter more than words