Ukraine Russia peace talks

Kiev (dpa) — A meeting between Ukrainian negotiators and US mediators planned for this week is being postponed in response to a US proposal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.

“At the moment, the partners’ priority and all attention are focused on the situation around Iran,” he posted on X after meeting the Ukrainian negotiating team.

“However, Ukraine is ready for a meeting at any moment, in a format that can help and that will be realistic in terms of ending the war,” Zelensky said.

He said he had instructed the team to inform the US negotiators that Ukraine was ready for joint work with the US in protection against drone strikes. Ukraine has offered its experience in countering drones to US forces in the Gulf.

Ukraine Russia peace talks

Turning to talks with Russia, he said: “We see that the Russians are now trying to manipulate the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region in favor of their aggression, and also to effectively turn the Iranian regime’s strikes against its neighbors and American bases into a second front of Russia’s war against Ukraine and, more broadly, against the entire West.”

Zelensky’s office earlier denied press reports about a possible meeting in Istanbul on Wednesday between Ukrainian, Russian and US delegations.

Last week, talks planned in Abu Dhabi between Ukraine and Russia under US mediation were postponed due to security concerns.

Just over a week ago, the US and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran, prompting Tehran to respond with waves of missiles and drones targeting Israeli territory, US forces and allied positions across the Gulf region.