President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the timing and location of the next round of peace talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine will depend on the security situation in the Middle East and the level of 'real diplomatic possibilities'. Speaking on Saturday, he indicated he would issue new directives to Ukraine's negotiating team, without providing details.
The next round had been expected to take place in Abu Dhabi in early March, but the United Arab Emirates has become embroiled in hostilities following US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Zelenskyy voiced support for the strikes, describing Iran as 'an accomplice of Putin' for supplying Shahed drones and technology to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said Russia had used 'more than 57,000 Shahed-type strike drones against Ukraine'. He added: 'It is only fair to give the Iranian people a chance to get rid of the terrorist regime.' He stressed the importance of the US acting decisively to prevent a wider war.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, said that Russia had indicated at recent talks in Geneva it would accept the US proposal for Ukraine's postwar security guarantees. However, he noted that Russia had not agreed to a summit between Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin, as floated by US envoy Steve Witkoff.
Russia condemned the US-Israeli strikes on Iran as 'a preplanned and unprovoked act of armed aggression'. Moscow has sought to balance its ties with both Israel and Iran, with the two countries conducting joint naval drills last week. Russia's defence ministry also claimed control of two settlements in Ukraine's Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions.
