Ukraine peace talks on hold but contacts with US continue, Russia says
Yuri Ushakov (photo: Getty Images)
Russia said that "there is a pause" in trilateral talks on Ukraine as US negotiators are "busy with something else," according to Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian president, TASS reports.
"Right now, there is a pause in the trilateral negotiations. We maintain contacts with the Americans, but we see that the Ukrainians are also actively communicating with them. At present, the American negotiators — we know who is meant — are busy with something else, another issue to a greater extent," he said.
In addition, Ushakov said whether the United States informs the aggressor country about the course of its negotiations with Ukraine.
"The process of contacts continues, and during these contacts we discuss, I would say, primarily the Ukrainian issue," he noted.
Peace talks on Ukraine
In 2026, Ukraine, with the mediation of the United States, had already held several rounds of negotiations with Russia. The sides have not been able to reach an agreement on a ceasefire, as the aggressor country wants the surrender of the unoccupied Donbas, which Kyiv does not agree to.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, rejected any exchange of Donbas territory for other regions. He emphasized that Russia understands that it will be able to hold border territories, and the time will come when the Armed Forces of Ukraine will push Russians out from there.
In addition, the President of Ukraine stressed that during future negotiations, it is necessary to agree on a meeting at the level of leaders, since it is in this format that a decision on the territorial issue can be reached.
Yesterday, April 1, Bloomberg, citing sources, wrote that the United States believes that, despite Washington's shift of focus to the Middle East, negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are still possible.
