diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/xml/security/encryption/XMLCipher.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/xml/security/encryption/XMLCipher.java
index 4c1309729..ed3778124 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/xml/security/encryption/XMLCipher.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/xml/security/encryption/XMLCipher.java
@@ -1477,8 +1477,7 @@ public Key decryptKey(EncryptedKey encryptedKey, String algorithm)
                 try {
                     String keyWrapAlg = encryptedKey.getEncryptionMethod().getAlgorithm();
                     String keyType = JCEMapper.getJCEKeyAlgorithmFromURI(keyWrapAlg);
-                    if ( !(ki instanceof KeyInfoEnc && ((KeyInfoEnc)ki).containsAgreementMethod())
-                            && ("RSA".equals(keyType) || "EC".equals(keyType))) {
+                    if ( "RSA".equals(keyType) || "EC".equals(keyType)) {
                         key = ki.getPrivateKey();
                     } else {
                         key = ki.getSecretKey();
@@ -1608,14 +1607,41 @@ private AlgorithmParameterSpec getAlgorithmParameters(EncryptedKey encryptedKey)
         }
 
         KeyInfoEnc keyInfo = encryptedKey.getKeyInfo() instanceof KeyInfoEnc ? (KeyInfoEnc) encryptedKey.getKeyInfo(): null;
-        if (keyInfo != null && keyInfo.containsAgreementMethod()) {
-            // resolve the agreement method
-            LOG.log(Level.DEBUG,"EncryptedKey key is using Key agreement data");
-            AgreementMethod agreementMethod = keyInfo.itemAgreementMethod(0);
-            return XMLCipherUtil.constructRecipientKeyAgreementParameters(encryptionAlgorithm,
-                    agreementMethod, (PrivateKey) this.key);
-        }
-        return null;
+        return constructKeyAgreementParameters(keyInfo, encryptionAlgorithm);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The method validates whether key agreement data is present and checks if
+     * the provided key is of type PrivateKey. If both conditions are met, it
+     * proceeds to extract the KeyAgreementParameters for key derivation; otherwise, it returns null
+     *
+     * @param keyInfo   the KeyInfoEnc object containing the key agreement data
+     * @param encryptionAlgorithm the encryption algorithm
+     *
+     * @return KeyAgreementParameters object containing the key agreement data
+     *       or null if the key agreement data is not present or the provided key is not a PrivateKey
+     */
+    private KeyAgreementParameters constructKeyAgreementParameters(KeyInfoEnc keyInfo,
+                                                                   String encryptionAlgorithm) throws XMLSecurityException {
+
+        if (keyInfo == null || !keyInfo.containsAgreementMethod() ) {
+            LOG.log(Level.DEBUG,"EncryptedKey key does not contain AgreementMethod data");
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        if (!(this.key instanceof PrivateKey)) {
+            LOG.log(Level.INFO,"The EncryptedKey key is using Key agreement data, " +
+                    "but provided key is not a PrivateKey. Skipping Key Agreement data processing.");
+            // do not throw error because of the legacy reasons to allow users to resolve
+            // the encryption Key manually and provide the derived key to XMLCipher
+            // @see <A HREF="https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SANTUARIO-616">SANTUARIO-616</A>
+            return null;
+        }
+        // resolve the agreement method
+        LOG.log(Level.DEBUG,"EncryptedKey key is using Key agreement data");
+        AgreementMethod agreementMethod = keyInfo.itemAgreementMethod(0);
+        return XMLCipherUtil.constructRecipientKeyAgreementParameters(encryptionAlgorithm,
+                agreementMethod, (PrivateKey) this.key);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/xml/security/test/dom/encryption/XMLCipherTest.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/xml/security/test/dom/encryption/XMLCipherTest.java
index cec743e9f..d0fb87e08 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/xml/security/test/dom/encryption/XMLCipherTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/xml/security/test/dom/encryption/XMLCipherTest.java
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@
 import org.apache.xml.security.encryption.EncryptionProperties;
 import org.apache.xml.security.encryption.EncryptionProperty;
 import org.apache.xml.security.encryption.XMLCipher;
+import org.apache.xml.security.encryption.XMLCipherUtil;
 import org.apache.xml.security.encryption.keys.KeyInfoEnc;
 import org.apache.xml.security.encryption.params.ConcatKDFParams;
 import org.apache.xml.security.encryption.params.KeyAgreementParameters;
@@ -427,6 +428,74 @@ void testAES128ElementRsaOaepKWCipher(String keyWrapAlgorithmURI, String mgf1URI
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Test decryption using key agreement method processing and manual key derivation
+     * where KeyAgreementMethod is present in EncryptedKey, but it is not used for decryption
+     * because decryption key is provided manually. The test ensures legacy behavior is preserved
+     * where some implementations implemented it own key agreement method processing
+     * and XMLCipher is used just for key unwrapping.
+     *
+     * <p/>
+     * @throws Exception Thrown when there is any problem in signing or verification
+     */
+    @Test
+    void testDecryptionSkipKeyAgreementMethodProcessing() throws Exception {
+
+        // init parameters encrypted key object
+        String keyWrapAlgorithm = XMLCipher.AES_128_KeyWrap;
+        int transportKeyBitLength = KeyUtils.getAESKeyBitSizeForWrapAlgorithm(keyWrapAlgorithm);
+
+        // Generate test recipient key pair
+        KeyPair recipientKeyPair = KeyTestUtils.generateKeyPair(KeyUtils.KeyType.SECP256R1);
+        PrivateKey privRecipientKey = recipientKeyPair.getPrivate();
+        PublicKey pubRecipientKey = recipientKeyPair.getPublic();
+
+        // Generate a traffic key
+        KeyGenerator keygen = KeyGenerator.getInstance("AES");
+        keygen.init(transportKeyBitLength);
+        Key ephemeralSymmetricKey = keygen.generateKey();
+
+        XMLCipher cipherEncKey = XMLCipher.getInstance(keyWrapAlgorithm);
+        cipherEncKey.init(XMLCipher.WRAP_MODE, pubRecipientKey);
+        cipherEncKey.setSecureValidation(true);
+        // create key agreement parameters
+        KeyDerivationParameters keyDerivationParameter = new ConcatKDFParams(transportKeyBitLength,
+                MessageDigestAlgorithm.ALGO_ID_DIGEST_SHA256);
+        KeyAgreementParameters parameterSpec = new KeyAgreementParameters(
+                KeyAgreementParameters.ActorType.ORIGINATOR,
+                EncryptionConstants.ALGO_ID_KEYAGREEMENT_ECDH_ES,
+                keyDerivationParameter);
+
+        // Generate EncryptedKey with KeyAgreementMethod
+        Document doc = TestUtils.newDocument();
+        EncryptedKey encryptedKey = cipherEncKey.encryptKey(doc, ephemeralSymmetricKey, parameterSpec, null);
+        // assert that KeyAgreementMethod is present
+        assertEquals(1, ((KeyInfoEnc) encryptedKey.getKeyInfo()).lengthAgreementMethod());
+
+        // decrypt EncryptedKey key handled by xmlsec.
+        XMLCipher kwCipherWithKeyAgreement = XMLCipher.getInstance();
+        kwCipherWithKeyAgreement.init(XMLCipher.UNWRAP_MODE, privRecipientKey);
+        Key symmetricKeyWithKeyAgreement = kwCipherWithKeyAgreement.decryptKey(
+                encryptedKey, encryptedKey.getEncryptionMethod().getAlgorithm()
+        );
+        assertEquals(ephemeralSymmetricKey, symmetricKeyWithKeyAgreement);
+
+        // decrypt EncryptedKey key manually (skip KeyAgreementMethod processing)
+        // derive encrypted key manually
+        KeyAgreementParameters params = XMLCipherUtil.constructRecipientKeyAgreementParameters(keyWrapAlgorithm,
+                ((KeyInfoEnc) encryptedKey.getKeyInfo()).itemAgreementMethod(0), privRecipientKey);
+        Key keyWrappingKey = KeyUtils.aesWrapKeyWithDHGeneratedKey(params);
+
+        // use manually derived key to decrypt EncryptedKey
+        XMLCipher kwCipherManually = XMLCipher.getInstance();
+        kwCipherManually.init(XMLCipher.UNWRAP_MODE, keyWrappingKey);
+
+        Key symmetricKeyManualDecryption = kwCipherManually.decryptKey(
+                encryptedKey, encryptedKey.getEncryptionMethod().getAlgorithm()
+        );
+        assertEquals(ephemeralSymmetricKey, symmetricKeyManualDecryption);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Test encryption using a generated AES 192 bit key that is
      * encrypted using a 3DES key.  Then reverse by decrypting