Media: US hopes for new round of Ukraine-Russia talks despite stalemate

Efforts to revive diplomatic negotiations between Russia and Ukraine may soon gain momentum, with officials signaling that a new round of trilateral talks involving the United States could take place in the coming weeks.

The United States has indicated to its allies that it still believes both sides can be brought back to the negotiating table, even as no concrete progress has been made so far, officials familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. 

Previous talks, mediated by Washington, have stalled amid widening gaps between Moscow and Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 30 that he remains cautiously optimistic about restarting discussions, stressing that diplomacy has not reached a dead end.

“I don’t believe this is a dead end,” he told reporters, underscoring Kyiv’s refusal to consider surrender as an option.

In 2026, Russia, Ukraine, and the US held three rounds of negotiations in Abu Dhabi and Geneva, with the most recent session taking place on February 17–18. A follow-up meeting scheduled for March in the United Arab Emirates was postponed as geopolitical attention shifted to escalating tensions in the Middle East, including the US-Israel attack on Iran.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has expressed hope that talks will resume soon, though significant obstacles remain. Russia continues to insist on key demands, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from parts of eastern Donetsk—territory Moscow has sought to fully control since 2014. Ukraine has firmly rejected those conditions.

As a potential compromise, the US has floated the idea of transforming contested areas into a free economic zone, though the proposal has yet to gain traction.

By Sabina Mammadli