Ukraine peace talks on hold until end of Middle East war – presidential advisor

Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor at the Office of the President of Ukraine, stated this on television, Ukrinform reports.

"The political and military part of the negotiations is on pause, while the humanitarian component continues to operate. President [Volodymyr Zelensky] and [Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo] Budanov have announced the possibility of continuing prisoner exchanges, and accordingly, this work is ongoing," Podolyak said.

According to him, "as long as the war in the Middle East continues, negotiations on the war in Ukraine will remain on pause."

Podolyak also noted that attitudes toward Russia in Middle Eastern countries are undergoing an irreversible shift due to its support for Iran.

"It is now catastrophically completing its evolution from a neutral-positive attitude to an openly negative one," he said.

He stressed that attitudes toward Ukraine have also changed.

"Ukraine's subjectivity has significantly increased," he said.

As Ukrinform earlier reported, the previous meeting of negotiating teams took place in Florida on March 21-22 in a bilateral Ukraine-U.S. format.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine