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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is waiting for peace talks with Russia to resume, but the conflict in Iran has become a key obstacle delaying the process.
Zelenskyy made the remarks in a phone interview with Bloomberg News on Thursday, saying Kyiv has not received new signals from either Russia or the U.S. on when the negotiations could restart.
Zelenskyy said there were no fresh indications on when or where the talks, brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, might take place.
“I think it all depends on how the situation in the Middle East unfolds,” Zelenskyy said.
American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are still considering a visit to Kyiv, he said. The invitation remains in place, but they have not yet responded.
Zelenskyy said Witkoff and Kushner are in contact with their Ukrainian counterparts by phone.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is now in its fifth year.
Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have made little progress and stalled in mid-February after the last round in Geneva. The process was later derailed by U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Meanwhile, Kyiv and Moscow have continued prisoner exchanges. Zelenskyy’s top aide, Kyrylo Budanov, told Bloomberg this month that he sees progress in the talks and does not expect the war to last much longer.
However, Zelenskyy said the overall situation has not improved.
Zelenskyy urged the U.S. and Europe to keep sanctions on Russia in place and warned against Moscow’s attempts to ease them.
“I think Russia can raise the issue of a ceasefire in exchange for lifting sanctions on certain enterprises,” Zelenskyy said.
He said Moscow is seeking relief from Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT)-related sanctions so that Russian banks can operate.
“I know that they are raising the issue of lifting the SWIFT sanction so that their banks can work. For Ukraine, all this is a big risk,” Zelenskyy said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the possibility of a short-term truce with Ukraine around May 9, when Russia marks Victory Day over Nazi Germany in World War II, during a call with Trump.
Zelenskyy said he had not received any official or unofficial proposal from either Moscow or Washington about such a truce.
He said he instructed Ukrainian diplomats to contact the U.S. for details before making any decision.
Many countries, including Ukraine, commemorate those killed in World War II on May 8, Zelenskyy said. He added that it remains unclear what timeframe Putin is referring to for a possible ceasefire.
Zelenskyy said he believes the Kremlin wants a one-day or several-day truce mainly to protect its annual military parade in Moscow from possible Ukrainian strikes.
“They want the parade to pass calmly for a few hours, and then resume attacks afterward,” Zelenskyy said.
“We don’t want any ceasefire to become a tactical deception by the Russian Federation,” he said.
At the same time, Zelenskyy said he supports ceasefire initiatives that protect civilians and help facilitate prisoner exchanges.
“We always respond positively to genuine ceasefire proposals with Russia, if they exist,” he said.
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