'Any format, at any time' — Zelensky pushes to restart peace talks, open to any venue but Russia, Belarus
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Ukraine is ready to meet with Russian representatives in any country except Russia or Belarus, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 22, calling for the resumption of U.S.-mediated talks.
The appeal comes as peace negotiations have remained frozen for nearly two months, with Washington shifting focus to the conflict with Iran and efforts to settle it.
"We're ready for any format, at any time," Zelensky told reporters. "We are not afraid to meet at any time in any country, except for Russia and Belarus — we would like to emphasize this once again. I am confident that the trilateral meeting should resume."
The latest trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. took place on Feb. 16. A follow-up meeting planned for late February was postponed shortly before U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Zelensky said Ukrainian representatives have continued discussions with the U.S. side and held talks on April 21, without providing details, adding that such contacts "happen constantly."
While Kyiv is pushing to restart negotiations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signaled earlier in April that talks with Ukraine are not currently a priority for Moscow.
"At this point, the issue of resuming negotiations is not our top priority. We haven't forced negotiations on anyone," he said. "We have always operated on the principle that if our partner is ready, we're ready."
Major disagreements continue to block progress in talks, particularly over Russia's territorial demands.
Ukraine maintains that freezing the current front line is the most realistic basis for a ceasefire. Moscow, meanwhile, insists that Ukrainian forces withdraw from parts of its Donbas region without fighting as a precondition for any settlement — a demand that Kyiv rejects.
The slowdown in negotiations has also been linked to the limited availability of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are involved in parallel negotiations related to Iran.
According to Zelensky, the U.S. side proposed hosting talks on American soil, but Russia indicated a preference for alternative venues, including Turkey or Switzerland.
Kyiv hopes a potential visit by Witkoff and Kushner could help revive negotiations, though their schedules remain uncertain. A U.S. official familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent on April 15 that Washington is discussing a possible trip by the envoys to Ukraine.
