Ukraine has proposed to Russia, through an intermediary, a mutual halt to attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea, an offer to which Moscow has not yet responded.
The proposal comes amid intensifying naval hostilities. Since July, Ukrainian drones have struck nearly 220 vessels in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea, while Russian drones killed 10 sailors aboard a Turkish cargo ship that same month. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced a massive coordinated strike on the Russian port of Novorossiysk on Wednesday, destroying warships including two frigates. Russian officials said three people, including a child, were killed.
U.S. mediation efforts have been constrained since February by the war with Iran, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 1 August that Washington is willing to explore whether talks between Moscow and Kyiv could resume. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are due to visit Kyiv later this month.