Ukraine War and Peace Talks

The Kremlin said Thursday that peace talks on the Ukraine war are on a 'situational pause' as the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran intensifies, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters Moscow expects discussions to resume once 'our American partners' can refocus on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded in a video on X saying Kyiv has received signals from Washington that it is ready to restart negotiations and that 'it is time to resume them,' adding that a Ukrainian negotiating team is already en route to the United States for meetings expected Saturday. The pause follows Russian media claims that the Middle East conflict could push Kyiv toward compromise, a framing Kyiv has rejected, even as President Donald Trump has publicly blamed the 'hatred' between Russian and Ukrainian leaders for blocking a settlement. The article notes that as the Iran war enters its third week, Ukraine is sharing technology and tactics for countering Iranian drones with U.S. and Gulf partners, underlining how the two conflicts are becoming intertwined in U.S. security planning and diplomacy. The combination of paused but potentially imminent talks and a widening regional war raises questions about whether Washington can simultaneously manage a major Middle Eastern conflict and broker an endgame in Europe or whether Ukraine’s fate will be overshadowed by Iran.