Zelenskyy waiting on US and Russia for next round of talks

KYIV (AP):

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he was ready for the next round of trilateral peace talks to end Russia’s more than four-year-old invasion of Ukraine, but that it was up to Washington and Moscow to agree on where and when to meet.

Zelenskyy said the US had proposed hosting the next meeting between American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams, which include US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, but Moscow had refused to send a delegation.

“We are waiting for a response from the Americans. Either they will change the country where we meet, or the Russians must confirm the US,” Zelenskyy said in a media briefing Saturday. “We are not blocking any of these initiatives. We want a trilateral meeting to take place.”

The US has postponed its sponsored talks between the two sides because of the war in the Middle East. The Iran war, which erupted on February 28 following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and spread across the region, has drawn the international spotlight away from Ukraine’s plight as it strives to hold back Russia’s bigger army.

Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy also warned of a “very high” risk that the Iran war could drain the air defence stockpiles Ukraine depends on to counter Russian missile strikes.

Zelenskyy said he lacked a clear picture of available stockpiles and had discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday whether SAMP/T systems could serve as an alternative to US-made Patriot batteries for intercepting ballistic missiles. He said Ukraine would be “first in line” to test any viable alternative.

He also appeared to push back against US President Donald Trump’s recent assertion that Washington has no need for Ukrainian drone technology.

“No, we don’t need their help on drone defence,” Trump said in a Fox News Radio interview.

Zelenskyy said Washington had reached out to Ukraine “several times” to request assistance for a particular country or for support for Americans, without giving specifics. He said the requests had come from various US military institutions to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence and other military leaders.

“All our institutions received these requests, and we responded to them,” Zelenskyy said.

He said he had offered Washington a defence cooperation deal last year worth $35–50 billion that would have given the US administration access to technology from roughly 200 Ukrainian drone, AI and electronic warfare firms, with half of all production earmarked for partners, primarily the US.

According to the Ukrainian leader, American military officials had expressed strong interest in the proposal, and Trump himself had indicated he was receptive.

“We received a message from them, and directly from the president as well, that they are interested,” Zelenskyy told reporters. “We did not sign the document with President Trump. I do not have an answer as to why. Perhaps it will happen later, but I am not sure.”