Participants of Ukrainian, US negotiating teams hold talks on Tuesday – Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that representatives of the Ukrainian and U.S. negotiating teams held talks on Tuesday and expressed hope for the resumption of trilateral Ukraine-U.S.-Russia negotiations aimed at ending the war.
"We are confident that the trilateral meeting should resume. Yesterday our teams communicated – representatives of the negotiating teams of Ukraine and America spoke with each other. This is happening constantly. We very much hope for the return of trilateral meetings, for the return of the track that leads to the end of the war. We have no issues," Zelenskyy told journalists on Wednesday.
Asked whether the negotiation track between Ukraine and Russia could resume in the near future, and in what format, the president said that this "does not depend on us."
"We are ready for any format, at any time. In principle, the priority countries – we know them – meetings have already taken place there: Turkey is open, the Middle East. For now there is a ceasefire there, which I think is safe for everyone. Although we are not afraid to meet at any time in any country, except Russia and Belarus," Zelenskyy added.
As reported, on February 26, Zelenskyy said after a meeting between the Ukrainian negotiating group led by Rustem Umerov and Davyd Arakhamia and envoys of U.S. President Donald Trump, Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner, that readiness for the next trilateral meeting had increased, potentially in early March in Abu Dhabi (UAE). The last round of talks took place in Geneva (Switzerland), with earlier rounds held in Abu Dhabi.
On March 2, Zelenskyy said the trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the U.S. and Russia had been tentatively planned for March 5 and 6 in Abu Dhabi, but due to hostilities Ukraine could not confirm the location, although the meeting had not been cancelled.
On March 5, a source close to the negotiating delegation told Interfax-Ukraine that the next meeting within the trilateral format had been postponed indefinitely.
On April 1, Zelenskyy, Witkoff and Kushner held a call and agreed to remain in constant contact to strengthen the document on security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for efforts aimed at achieving a just peace and stressed that continued contact could pave the way for a reliable end to the war.