Ukraine-Russia peace talks still expected this week, Zelenskiy says

KYIV, March 2 (Reuters) - A new round of U.S.-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, scheduled for week, has not been canceled following the weekend strikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday.

Zelenskiy said that Kyiv was considering a new location for the talks, which had been due to take place on March 5 and 6 in Abu Dhabi, and that Turkey or Switzerland were possibilities.

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“Due to the ongoing hostilities, we cannot confirm that the meeting will take place in Abu Dhabi but, nevertheless, no-one has cancelled the meeting,” he told reporters in a briefing on WhatsApp.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that it was in Russia’s interests to continue peace talks with Ukraine and that Moscow’s preference was still to reach a diplomatic settlement to end the four-year war.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing both Kyiv and Moscow to find a way to end the conflict. But, despite multiple rounds of talks, Ukraine and Russia remain far apart in their positions.

Zelenskiy reiterated on Monday his refusal to cede to Moscow’s demand that Ukraine withdraw from the remaining 20% of the eastern Donetsk region that Russia has been unable to conquer. Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s position was growing stronger as it had survived the critical cold winter months and remained resilient despite intense Russian drone and missile attacks on its energy infrastructure.

Hostilities in the Middle East had so far no impact on weapons supplies to Ukraine from its allies, Zelenskiy said: “But, of course, we understand that a long war – if it is to be long – and the intensity of the fighting will affect the amount of air defence equipment we receive.”

He said that Russia was preparing a new wave of attacks on infrastructure, logistics and water supplies, adding that ensuring sufficient deliveries of air defence weaponry remained a key challenge for Kyiv. Ukraine was ready to share its experience in air defence but he had no direct requests from Britain or other partners to do so for now, he added.

Reporting by Yuliia Dysa, Olena Harmash; Editing by Daniel Flynn

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