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On Saturday, March 21, talks in the United States will take place only between Kyiv and Washington, with Moscow not taking part.
This was stated by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in comments to journalists, as reported by Russian news agency Interfax.
“No, Russia will not take part in these contacts. This will be a bilateral dialogue between Ukrainians and Americans. The pause in the continuation of the trilateral format is temporary,” he said.
Peskov also expressed hope that Russia could return to the negotiations in the near future.
Ukrainian delegation at the talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian officials have already departed for the United States for another round of talks.
He noted that he had discussed the negotiation process with NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov, Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov, and Servant of the People faction leader Davyd Arakhamia in parliament. First Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Serhii Kyslytsia will also take part in the meetings.
Pause in negotiations
Earlier, a new round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States was scheduled to take place from March 5 to 8 in Abu Dhabi.
Zelenskyy said the parties had considered an alternative location due to hostilities in the Middle East. However, the meeting did not take place as the United States was focused on its operation against Iran.
Last week, the Ukrainian president said Washington had expressed readiness for a new meeting, but only on US territory. American officials are currently restricted from leaving the country due to security concerns.
Zelenskyy also said that any future talks should include a leaders’ summit, arguing that only such a format could lead to decisions on territorial issues.
