Zelenskyy sends delegation to US peace talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he sent an official delegation to the US in a bid to move forward with suspended negotiations on ending Russia's invasion of his country.

A senior Kremlin official also indicated Friday that a new round of US-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv will likely take place soon. The trilateral talks, which have yet to produce any breakthrough on key issues, have been on ice while the Iran war has dominated international attention. Zelenskyy is keen to restore momentum to the negotiations and said late Thursday that he had sent representatives to the US for a meeting expected Saturday. The White House did not confirm any meeting.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia won't be present at those talks. He said the time and venue for a new trilateral meeting haven't been agreed yet. “The pause is temporary, we hope it's temporary regarding the continuation of the trilateral format,” he said. Western European officials have, over the past year, repeatedly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in negotiations while he tries to press his bigger army's battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land. Russian forces hold nearly 20 per cent of Ukraine.

The latest conflict in the Middle East that began on February 28 with Israeli and US strikes on Iran has diverted international attention from Ukraine's plight.

At the same time, Russia is getting a financial windfall from a temporary US waiver on oil sanctions while Ukraine is desperately short of cash and still waiting for a 90-billion-euro ($103 billion) loan promised by the European Union.

Kyiv could also get fewer of the advanced air defence missiles it needs to fend off Russian aerial attacks as the Iran war burns through stockpiles. Putin is widely expected to launch new offensives as the weather in Ukraine improves, piling further pressure on Kyiv.

Ukraine has become one of the world's leading producers of battle-tested drone interceptors, and Zelenskyy is hoping to provide expertise to Arab Gulf countries targeted by Iranian Shaheds in exchange for air defense missiles.

A team of senior Ukrainian officials has visited the Gulf region in recent days.

“There is an understanding of what new security agreements can be reached with countries in the region,” Zelenskyy said in an evening address on Thursday.