US proposes postponing trilateral meeting until next week – Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine was ready to travel to Turkey for a meeting between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia, but the United States suggested postponing the talks until next week.

The head of state said this while speaking with journalists, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"As for our negotiations, the talks were planned to take place on Tuesday or Wednesday in Turkey. I have just had a conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. For them as well, the war in the Middle East is a challenge, but nevertheless everyone says that dialogue on ending the war in Ukraine is important and a priority for all of us. Therefore, we were ready to travel to Turkey. It was the American side that postponed this meeting and proposed holding it next week. That is the information we have as of today," Zelensky said.

He stressed that Ukrainian representatives remain in daily contact with the U.S.

"The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine is in contact with them. We will see what the next date will be," Zelensky added.

Zelensky said earlier that trilateral negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia, which were expected to take place this week, had been postponed due to developments surrounding Iran.

On February 16-17, another round of trilateral talks was held in Geneva. Following the meeting, Zelensky said there had been progress on military issues, particularly on monitoring a ceasefire, while positions remained different on political matters such as territories, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and other sensitive issues.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine