The Kremlin said Tuesday it has “no clarity” on the timing or location of the next round of peace talks between Russian, Ukrainian, and US delegations. The meeting had been expected in Abu Dhabi this week.
As reported by Russian state media outlet TASS, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that a meeting in Abu Dhabi is unlikely “for obvious reasons.”
When asked whether US involvement in military operations against Iran could affect America’s position in the talks, Peskov replied: “We’ll see; time will tell. So far, there are no indications on this. But it’s clear that the Americans have more work on their plate these days.”
With no final peace terms agreed, Kyiv said Tuesday that the United States is prepared to offer Ukraine security guarantees – but only as part of a peace deal with Russia, a condition that complicates Ukraine’s negotiating position.
“We have security guarantees from the Americans, but they want to sign them only in the context of an agreement with the Russians. I do not agree with this point, but that is how it is,” President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Zelensky said a trilateral meeting with US officials has not been postponed and could still take place March 5 or 6.
He added that he would prefer a European venue rather than Abu Dhabi, noting that “the war is on our continent.”
Since the start of 2026, Ukraine, Russia, and the US have held several rounds of trilateral talks. Delegations met in Abu Dhabi in January and early February, and in Geneva in mid-February.
Territorial disputes remain the key obstacle. Zelensky rejected proposals for trading land – including roughly 5,800 square kilometers (2,239 square miles) in Donbas – which Russia has demanded and the US has explored as possible compromises.
Responding to a question on Sunday, March 2, about whether negotiations could involve swapping Russian-occupied parts of the northern border regions for territory in Donbas not currently under Moscow’s control, Zelensky said the lands “cannot be compared.”
“First of all, when we talk about border territories – any border territories – they are very difficult for the enemy to hold. The Russians clearly understand that they will not be able to hold them, and the time will come when we push them out of these territories. So this is not a gift,” Zelensky said.
He also said freezing the front line was proposed by the US as a temporary diplomatic measure, but Moscow has rejected it.