KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in comments released Sunday that he was ready for the next round of trilateral peace talks to end Ukraine’s four-year-old invasion, but it was up to Washington and Moscow to agree when and where to meet.
Zelensky said the US had offered to host a further meeting between the American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams, which included US ambassadors Steve Wittkoff and Jared Kushner, but Moscow refused to send a delegation.
“We are waiting for a response from the Americans. Either they will change the country where we will meet, or the Russians will confirm the US,” Zelenskyy said at a media conference on Saturday. “We are not blocking any of these initiatives. We want the tripartite meeting to take place.”
The US has postponed its sponsored talks between the two sides because of the ongoing war in the Middle East. The Iran war, which erupted on February 28 after the US-Israeli attack on Iran and spread across the region, has drawn international attention to Ukraine’s plight as it struggles to contain Russia’s massive military presence.
Speaking to journalists, Zelensky also warned of the “extremely high” risk that an Iran war could drain the air defense stockpile that Ukraine relies on to counter Russian missile attacks.
Zelensky said he did not have a clear picture of available stockpiles and had discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday whether the SAMP/T systems could serve as an alternative to US-made Patriot batteries to intercept ballistic missiles. Ukraine is “first in line” to test any viable alternative, he said.
He appeared to push back against US President Donald Trump’s recent assertion that Washington does not need Ukrainian drone technology.
“No, we don’t need their help on drone defense,” Trump said in a Fox News Radio interview that aired Friday.
Zelensky said Washington had reached out to Ukraine “several times” to request aid to a specific country or to provide specifics for the Americans’ support. He said requests have come to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and other military leaders from various US military agencies.
“All of our organizations received these requests and we responded to them,” Zelensky said.
He awarded Washington a $35 billion-$50 billion defense cooperation deal last year that gives the US administration access to technology from roughly 200 Ukrainian drone, AI and electronic warfare firms, with half of all production destined for partners, primarily the US.
According to the Ukrainian leader, American military officials have expressed strong interest in the proposal, and Trump himself has indicated his acceptance.
“We received a message from him and directly from the president that he is interested,” Zelensky told reporters. “We haven’t signed a document with President Trump. I don’t have an answer as to why. Maybe it will happen later, but I’m not sure.”
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(tags to translate)Iran War
