Ukraine’s negotiating team heads to US for planned meeting this weekend, Zelensky announces
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President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 19 that a Ukrainian negotiating team is heading to the U.S. for a meeting scheduled this Saturday with American representatives.
The planned meeting comes after weeks of uncertainty in negotiations, with officials warning that the conflict in the Middle East has diverted political attention and resources away from Ukraine.
"There has been a pause in the talks, and it is time to resume them. We are doing everything to ensure that the negotiations are genuinely substantive," Zelensky said.
He confirmed that senior officials, including Rustem Umierov, Kyrylo Budanov, Davyd Arakhamia, and Sergiy Kyslytsia, will participate.
"Our priority is to do everything possible to create the conditions for a dignified peace," Zelensky added.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, speaking with Russian state media, said that there was a "situational pause" in talks with Kyiv due to the war in Iran, suggesting Moscow may not engage in the upcoming discussions.
The last round of trilateral talks between Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington took place in Geneva on Feb. 17–18, while a follow-up meeting scheduled for March 5 in Abu Dhabi was postponed after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and has not been rescheduled.
European officials have cautioned that U.S. military support, particularly air defense systems, could face delays as Washington prioritizes the Middle East, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas saying there is now “competition for the same assets.”
