March 13 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was quoted as saying on Friday the U.S. had sought a postponement of the latest round of three-sided talks on a settlement to Ukraine’s four-year-old conflict with Russia.
Zelenskiy, whose comments were quoted by various Ukrainian media outlets at the end of a visit to France, said the U.S. side had said its negotiators were not permitted to leave the United States in view of circumstances in the Middle East.
He said discussions about the next round were akin to a soap opera “because of the war in the Middle East.”
“The Americans said they were ready to meet, but only in America as the war and the security situation barred them from leaving the U.S.,” the state news agency Ukrinform quoted Zelenskiy as saying.
The Ukrainian delegation, he said, was ready to meet in Miami or Washington, but Russia rejected the proposal and suggested meeting in Turkey or Switzerland, a proposal ruled out by the U.S.
“We immediately said that we were ready for a meeting next week, we are preparing for a meeting in America, in Switzerland, in Turkey, and even, if they are not afraid, in the Emirates,” Zelenskiy was quoted as saying.
Ultimately, he said, staging the next round of talks depended on the U.S. side. Washington’s negotiating team has been led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Zelenskiy’s remarks.
Ukraine and Russia have held two sets of U.S.-brokered talks in the United Arab Emirates since the beginning of the year and a further round in Geneva last month.
The main sticking point remains territory and Russia’s demand for Ukraine to give up parts of its Donbas region that Moscow’s forces have not captured.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar; Editing by Chris Reese, Rod Nickel)
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