Negotiations between Ukraine and the United States are set to take place on Saturday, March 21, with Russia not participating in the discussions. This marks a shift to a bilateral dialogue focused solely on U.S.-Ukrainian relations.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, confirmed that Russia would not be involved in these talks, stating, “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 expressed hope that Russia would rejoin the negotiations in the near future.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that Ukrainian officials have already departed for the United States to engage in this new round of discussions. He noted that he had conferred with key advisors, including Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the President’s Office, and David Arakhamia, leader of the Servant of the People faction in the parliament. Additionally, First Deputy Head of the President’s Office, Serhiy Kyslytsia, will also participate in the meetings.
Initially, a new round of trilateral negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States was scheduled to occur from March 5 to 8 in Abu Dhabi. However, the meeting was postponed due to ongoing military actions in the Middle East, and U.S. focus shifted to operations against Iran.
The upcoming negotiations between Ukraine and the U.S. will proceed without Russian participation, as confirmed by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Ukrainian officials are en route to the U.S. for discussions that were originally planned as a trilateral format but were delayed due to regional conflicts.