Ukraine Offers Russia Black Sea Truce After Novorossiysk Strike

Ukraine has offered Russia a mutual halt to attacks on civilian ships and port infrastructure in the Black Sea, transmitting the proposal through an unnamed third country, Reuters reported Thursday.

Kyiv is awaiting Moscow’s response. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said Russia had received no formal proposal.

The initiative comes as Ukrainian grain exports have fallen 76% year-on-year so far in August amid intensified Russian attacks on ports and commercial shipping.

Around 90% of Ukraine’s agricultural exports normally move through the Black Sea, but the Novorossiysk strike showed Russia’s own maritime infrastructure is vulnerable too.

The pressure is no longer one-sided.

On Wednesday, Ukraine launched a major coordinated strike on Novorossiysk, Russia’s key Black Sea naval and grain-export hub, forcing all three grain terminals to suspend operations and hitting naval infrastructure.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the operation combined 15 domestically produced missile, aerial-drone and naval-drone systems.

Novorossiysk has become Russia’s principal Black Sea Fleet sanctuary after repeated Ukrainian attacks forced Moscow to relocate many vessels from occupied Crimea.

The strike showed that Russia cannot attack and blockade Ukrainian ports while assuming its own maritime infrastructure will remain safe.

Following a request from US Vice President JD Vance, Kyiv paused attacks on tankers carrying Kazakh crude through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium and reaffirmed that it would avoid non-sanctioned foreign vessels.

Ukraine first demonstrated at Novorossiysk that it can impose significant military and economic costs on Russia. It then offered Moscow a reciprocal moratorium protecting civilian ships and ports.

Kyiv’s strategy is clear: use military pressure not simply to damage Russia, but to raise the cost of continued attacks and push Moscow toward peace.