Ukraine says peace talks with Russia on hold due to Iran war

Olesia Safronova, Bloomberg News on Mar 5, 2026

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U.S.-brokered peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow initially planned for this week are postponed indefinitely due to the war in Iran, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“For now, because of the situation with Iran, the necessary signals for a trilateral meeting haven’t come yet,” Zelenskyy said in his regular address to the nation late Wednesday. “As soon as the security situation and the broader political context allow us to resume the trilateral diplomatic work, it will be done.”

Zelenskyy told reporters on Monday that talks were planned for around March 5-6, which would have been the fourth meeting between the sides this year after two rounds of negotiations in Abu Dhabi and one in Geneva.

With the war on Iran roiling the Middle East, the airspace in the United Arab Emirates is largely closed amid the risk of missile and drone attacks. However, Zelenskyy had earlier named Turkey and Switzerland as possible venues.

Russian demands for Ukraine to cede territory in the eastern Donetsk region that Moscow’s troops have failed to capture in fighting since 2014 remain a key unresolved issue in the negotiations.

“We continue to engage with the United States practically on a daily basis,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv is ready for new talks.

Russia on Thursday announced that both sides would exchange 500 prisoners from each side as part of agreements reached in Geneva. The swap is taking place March 5 and 6, Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia’s delegation to the talks in Switzerland, said on Telegram.