A fresh round of U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine that had been expected this week has been delayed, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The postponement comes as escalating conflict in the Middle East shifts global attention and diplomatic focus away from Europe.
At the same time, the United States and several of its Middle Eastern partners are seeking Ukraine’s expertise in defending against Iranian-made Shahed drones. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than four years ago, Moscow has deployed tens of thousands of these drones against Ukrainian targets, Zelenskyy said. Iran has recently used the same type of drones in response to joint US-Israeli strikes on Iranian sites.
The war involving Iran, which has now entered its sixth day, has captured significant international attention, overshadowing what remains Europe’s largest armed conflict since World War II. Western officials and analysts estimate that the Russia-Ukraine war has already caused hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts led by Washington over the past year, there is still little indication that negotiations will soon bring the fighting to an end.
Speaking late on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said the changing geopolitical climate has made it difficult to organise a three-party diplomatic meeting. “At the moment, because of the situation around Iran, the necessary signals for a trilateral meeting are not yet there,” he said. “But once the security conditions and broader political environment allow us to restart that trilateral diplomatic process, it will happen.”
Also read: Death toll in Iran from US-Israel strikes rises to 1,045
Zelenskyy also noted that multiple countries have approached Ukraine for guidance on countering Iranian drone threats. In recent days, he said he held discussions with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait about potential cooperation in air defense and drone countermeasures.
However, he emphasised that Ukraine’s assistance would only be provided under certain conditions. Any support, he said, must not undermine Ukraine’s own defensive capabilities and should strengthen Kyiv’s diplomatic position in its ongoing struggle against Russia’s invasion.
“We help protect from war those who help us, Ukraine, achieve a just end to the war with Russia,” Zelenskyy said. On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces have recently managed to regain ground in several areas along the approximately 1,250-kilometre (750-mile) front line. According to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, localised Ukrainian counteroffensives over the last two weeks of February resulted in more territory being recaptured than lost.
The think-tank estimates that Ukrainian forces have reclaimed roughly 257 square kilometres (about 100 square miles) of territory since the start of the year.
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