US, Ukrainian teams meet in bid to revive talks on Ukraine war

Summary

• US and Ukrainian negotiators met in the US on March 21 to revive stalled war talks, according to President Zelensky.
• US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Ukrainian security officials in Florida for discussions.
• Talks aim to understand Russia's willingness to end the war, which started in 2022 and caused mass displacement.

KYIV - US and Ukrainian negotiators met in the United States on March 21 in a bid to revive stalled talks on ending the four-year Ukraine war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

US-led efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II have stalled since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran in February, prompting Tehran to retaliate and turmoil to erupt across the Middle East.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators last met in Geneva in February and have not met since.

“Our team is in America right now. There was already a meeting today,” Mr Zelensky said in his evening address, without elaborating.

“The teams will continue their discussions tomorrow as well. The most important thing is to understand to what extent the Russian side is ready to move toward a genuine end to the war,” Mr Zelensky added.

The March 21 talks were held in Florida, according to Ukrainian media.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Mr Jared Kushner, represented the US side, while Ukrainian security council secretary Rustem Umerov and Mr Zelensky’s top aide, Lieutenant-General Kyrylo Budanov, represented the Ukrainian side, Ukrainian media reported.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and has since occupied large swathes of the east and south of the country while raining missiles and drones on its neighbour in daily attacks.

The war has forced millions to flee their homes and led to tens of thousands of military and civilian casualties. AFP