Ukraine peace talks stall: Presidential office cites main reason
Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to Ukraine's Presidential Office (photo: president.gov.ua)
Political talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine are currently on hold due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Meanwhile, work on prisoner exchanges continues as usual, Ukrainian Presidential Office advisor Mykhailo Podolyak stated.
Why talks paused
According to the presidential office advisor, the international situation directly affects Ukraine's diplomatic process. As long as the Middle East remains in an active phase of conflict, the political talks will not advance.
"The political-military part of the negotiations is on pause, while the humanitarian part continues. The President and Budanov (Zelenskyy's office head – ed.) have announced opportunities to continue prisoner swaps, and accordingly, this work is ongoing," he said.
Russia, Ukraine: Shifts in perception
Podolyak stressed that Russia's support for Iran has led to irreversible changes in how Middle Eastern countries view Moscow. Attitudes toward the aggressor have shifted from neutral to openly negative.
At the same time, Ukraine's standing on the international stage has grown significantly, creating a new context for future diplomatic efforts.
Diplomatic efforts to end war
Recently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed negotiators to raise the issue of a personal meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Geneva to discuss territorial matters.
The president firmly rejected any possibility of territorial concessions, including exchanging occupied Donbas for border areas.
Earlier, Russia claimed that trilateral talks were supposedly on pause due to the US side's business. In response, Zelenskyy invited a US delegation to Kyiv for consultations at the level of technical working groups.
