Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian negotiators needed a “clear timetable” as they prepared for talks in the United States.
Published March 20, 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country’s negotiators will push for a clear deadline for the next round of negotiations with Russia, as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have been suspended amid the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran.
President Zelenskyy told reporters on Friday that Kiev wants “a clear date, at least an approximate date” for negotiations.
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“Everyone understands that the situation in the Middle East and the wars are having an impact on the postponement of this date,” he said.
Zelensky’s comments came as Ukrainian negotiators are scheduled to hold talks in the United States on Saturday over a U.S.-brokered attempt to reach a deal to end the more than four-year-old Russia-Ukraine war.
Previous negotiations between Kiev and Moscow in Geneva and Abu Dhabi have failed to yield a breakthrough.
The biggest issue is territory, with Russia demanding that Ukraine give up the remaining 20% of eastern Donetsk that Russian forces were unable to capture.
Kiev has rejected that demand, but has called for strong security from its Western allies to prevent further attacks by Russia if an agreement is reached to end the war.
“We have received signals from the US side that we are ready to continue working within the existing negotiation format to end Russia’s war against Ukraine,” President Zelensky said in a social media post on Thursday.
“Negotiations have been paused and the time has come to resume them. We are taking all steps to ensure they are truly substantive.”
A senior Kremlin official indicated Friday that new U.S.-brokered negotiations between Moscow and Kiev are likely to take place soon.
“The suspension is temporary, and I hope that it is only temporary in terms of the continuation of the trilateral system,” he said.
Amid the Iran war, Ukraine’s European allies are trying to reassure Kiev that they remain focused on maintaining pressure on Russia to end the war.
“Obviously there’s an ongoing conflict with Iran in the Middle East, but we can’t lose focus from what’s happening in Ukraine and the need for support there,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said after meeting Zelensky in London this week.
European countries have also expressed concern about US President Donald Trump’s administration’s decision to exempt some Russian oil supplies from sanctions in a bid to offset rising energy costs related to the Iran war.
President Zelenskyy said on Friday that Ukrainian officials would discuss the recent “dangerous” decision to ease sanctions on Russia’s energy sector during a US meeting on Saturday.
