Zelenskyy pushes for talks with Trump while negotiations remain stalled
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump (Office of the President of Ukraine)
The teams of Ukraine and the United States are holding active consultations on sanctions policy and security guarantees. However, to resolve key issues, a personal meeting between the two presidents is needed, President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated during a conversation with journalists.
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At the moment, the dialogue is continuing at the level of negotiating teams. From the American side, the main contacts are Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, and the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. According to Zelenskyy, the teams are discussing a wide range of issues, including sanctions pressure.
Zelenskyy noted that he has not discussed sanctions against Russia or the easing of US restrictions with Donald Trump. At the same time, he emphasized that there is already a clear need for direct contact with the US leader.
“I think we have many issues — negotiations, drones, and the Middle East. I think we already need to meet with the president. Because the teams are working, but some issues are standing still. Our teams need to work more on organizing our meeting,” the president concluded.
What about peace negotiations?
Meanwhile, media outlets report that peace talks on Ukraine mediated by the United States have effectively stalled, as Trump has lost interest in the negotiation process due to the war in Iran.
The latest round of trilateral talks took place in Geneva on February 17–18. The next meeting had been planned for March 5 in Abu Dhabi, but it was postponed after US-Israeli strikes on Iran began.
Now the location cannot be determined because the Russians do not want to travel to the United States, while the Americans do not want to hold the talks in Europe.
Moreover, the round of negotiations that has yet to take place could be the last if Russia fails to force Ukraine to accept its conditions. In that case, Moscow is considering withdrawing from the negotiation process.
