Photo: EPA
According to diplomats, EU countries were also informed that US weapons deliveries would be delayed as Washington prioritizes clients in the Middle East.
The US “peace campaign” aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine is fading as US President Donald Trump loses interest in negotiations, while his war with Iran is weakening pressure on Russia, Financial Times reports.
According to four EU diplomats involved in talks with Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East has diverted Washington’s attention away from brokering a peace deal. They also noted that the situation benefits Russia due to higher oil prices, a pause in US sanctions, and the rapid depletion of American ammunition needed by Kyiv.
Talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials, mediated by the United States, are “indeed at risk,” a senior European official said.
“There has really been a pause in the negotiations. The Americans have other priorities, and that’s understandable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The last round of trilateral peace talks took place in Geneva on February 17–18. The next round, scheduled for March 5 in Abu Dhabi, was postponed after US and Israeli strikes on Iran, and a new date and venue have not yet been announced.
“The Middle East has seriously shifted political attention” away from Ukraine, one EU diplomat said.
“For us and for Ukraine, this is a catastrophe,” he added.
Diplomats say EU countries were told that US arms deliveries, including air defense systems, would be delayed because Washington has prioritized clients in the Middle East, which has serious implications for Kyiv.
“This is certainly a problem because there is effectively competition for the same resources in the Middle East and in Ukraine. It is obvious that America’s attention is currently focused on the Middle East,” the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas told the newspaper.
Trump’s war with Iran has also given Russia an unexpected advantage by driving up global energy prices, helping the Kremlin earn up to $150 million more per day. The US has also eased sanctions against Russia and reduced pressure on India, which had previously been urged to stop buying Russian oil.
This move by Washington “certainly does not contribute to peace,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has largely refrained from criticizing Trump over the war with Iran, likely trying to avoid pushing the US toward stronger support for Ukraine. Trump and Putin held a phone call on March 9, during which the Kremlin leader proposed ways Russia could help resolve the conflict in the Middle East.
However, Moscow has shown no willingness to compromise in talks with Ukraine.
“The negotiations are losing momentum. This format needs to be given new life,” one source told the newspaper.
EU leaders remain skeptical that peace talks will succeed without additional pressure on Moscow, though they see the process as a way to keep the US engaged.
European leaders have tried to keep Ukraine in focus since the US-Israeli operation against Iran began two weeks ago. French President Emmanuel Macron met with Zelenskyy in Paris on March 13. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the White House three days after US and Israeli strikes on Iran began, bringing a map of Ukraine to argue for stronger pressure on Moscow.
Sources cited by the newspaper say Trump showed little interest in detailed discussions and still believes Russia is strong while Ukraine is weak. There have also been no signs that the US is ready to increase pressure on Putin.
Over the past week, US officials told European counterparts there would be no further sanctions against Russia’s oil sector, according to two EU diplomats.
“The administration has consistently avoided putting pressure on Moscow, instead focusing on offering incentives to the Kremlin,” said Andrew Weiss of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Under Trump, the US has tried to position itself as a neutral mediator in the negotiations. According to people familiar with the talks, US officials were interested in ending the war but were largely indifferent to the conditions under which it would conclude.
A White House spokesperson said Trump “hopes” the negotiations will lead to an end to the war and that American negotiators have made “significant progress” in recent months.
“I don’t think the Russians want to negotiate again anytime soon. There’s nothing to talk about,” one participant in the closed-door talks said.
Russia has also resisted requests from European countries to play a larger role in the negotiations. Last month advisers to Macron — Emmanuel Bonne and Bertrand Buchwalter — traveled to Moscow to meet with Putin aide Yuri Ushakov.
According to sources, French officials tried to persuade Moscow to allow Kyiv’s European allies a seat at the negotiating table.
“Ushakov’s response was essentially: ‘Sorry, but no, we don’t agree — go to hell,’” a senior European diplomat said.
“Europeans do not want to help the peace process. When the French representative came, he brought no positive signals,” Peskov told the newspaper. “Unfortunately, Europeans are directing all their efforts toward convincing Ukrainians to continue the war.”
Russia believes it will win the war, the Kremlin spokesman added.
“The dynamics on the front line are positive for us. We are moving forward and getting closer to achieving our goals, but, as President Putin said, we remain open to a diplomatic settlement,” Peskov said.
From Ukraine’s perspective, Russia is not serious about ending the war, given Moscow’s insistence on demands Kyiv cannot accept, a senior Ukrainian official said. The official downplayed concerns that Washington’s focus on Iran would derail talks with Russia, saying Kyiv would “wait and see” how the situation develops.
“Nothing has changed” in negotiations with Russia, Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko said.
“The obstacles remain the same. Putin is not interested in reaching a result; he is interested in negotiations only because they allow him to avoid sanctions from Trump,” he added.
In a new interview with NBC News, Trump said he decided to temporarily ease some sanctions on Russian oil due to the sharp rise in global prices. According to him, the sanctions will return “once the crisis is over.” When asked about criticism from some foreign leaders over the easing of anti-Russian sanctions, Trump did not respond directly, instead once again criticizing Zelenskyy and saying he was surprised by the Ukrainian leader’s reluctance to reach a peace deal. Trump claims Zelenskyy should agree to a deal because, in his words, Putin “is ready for an agreement.”
