Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the postponement of the trilateral meeting between representatives of Ukraine, the USA, and the Russian Federation, which was scheduled to take place this week. According to the head of state, the initiative to delay came from the United States due to the escalation of the situation surrounding Iran, which is currently at the center of international partners’ attention.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Communication Continues: Ukraine Ready for Negotiations
Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine is in constant communication with the American side and is ready to continue negotiations at any moment if it would contribute to ending the war. No specific dates for the postponed meeting were mentioned.
“I held a meeting with our negotiation team. It is important that we are effectively communicating with the American side 24/7. Currently, the partners’ priority and all attention are focused on the situation surrounding Iran, and because of this, the meeting that was planned for this week is being postponed at the suggestion of the American side. However, Ukraine is ready to meet at any moment in whatever format can help and will be realistic in terms of ending the war.”
During the meeting, the negotiation team reported to the president on the intentions of the Russian side, which was made possible by the work of Ukrainian intelligence services. Zelensky instructed to reach out to American partners again to confirm Ukraine’s readiness for strategic cooperation in the field of security, particularly regarding countering strike drones, as well as to focus on real steps to achieve peace.
Escalation in the Middle East and Its Impact on Negotiations
The head of state expressed concern over Russia’s attempts to exploit the escalation in the Middle East and the Gulf region for its own interests. According to Zelensky, the Russian Federation is trying to turn the Iranian regime’s attacks on neighboring countries and American military bases into yet another front of its aggression against Ukraine and the Western world. He emphasized that this must not be allowed.
Earlier, in January and February, several rounds of trilateral consultations took place between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia, but no specific results were reported. It is known that during the delegation meeting on February 5, an agreement was reached on the exchange of prisoners of war, which was the first in the last five months.
On March 5 and 6, Ukraine and Russia conducted a new exchange of prisoners: 500 Ukrainian soldiers were returned from Russian captivity. Agreements regarding this exchange were reached during negotiations in Geneva in February.
The next meeting, which was planned to be held last week in Abu Dhabi (UAE), was also postponed indefinitely due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.