Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that an agreement on a trilateral meeting of representatives from Ukraine, the USA, and the Russian Federation, which is intended to address the resolution of the military conflict, has not yet been reached.
This is reported by Finway
Postponement of Negotiations Due to Disagreements Among the Parties
As Zelensky noted during a conversation with journalists following his official visit to France on March 13, the parties cannot agree on a location for the negotiations due to differing positions between the United States and Russia. Initially, the meeting was planned for next week, but it was postponed at the request of the American side.
“There’s a whole ‘Santa Barbara’ situation with these negotiations – due to the war in the Middle East. The Americans said they are ready for a meeting, but only in America, because of the war, and the security situation prevents them from leaving the territory of the USA right now,” the president said.
The head of state reported that Ukraine confirmed its delegation’s readiness to arrive in both Miami and Washington. In contrast, the Russian side refused to travel to the USA and proposed alternative venues for the negotiations – Turkey or Switzerland. However, the American side rejected these locations.
Preliminary Dialogue and Recent Prisoner Exchanges
Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine is ready to meet with partners at any of the possible venues, including in America, Switzerland, Turkey, and even, if there are no objections, in the United Arab Emirates.
In January and February, several rounds of trilateral negotiations took place between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia regarding the cessation of the war. The details of their outcomes were not officially disclosed, but after the meeting on February 5, the parties reached an agreement on conducting a prisoner exchange – the first in the last five months.
On March 5 and 6, Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner exchange, as a result of which the Ukrainian side was able to return 500 soldiers from Russian captivity. The agreement for this exchange was reached during negotiations in Geneva back in February.
The trilateral meeting scheduled for last week in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi was postponed indefinitely due to the escalation of the situation in the Middle East.