Kremlin confirms suspension of peace talks in Ukraine amid Middle East conflict
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Peace talks in Ukraine have been “paused” as the Middle East conflict escalates, the Kremlin said on Thursday, as Kyiv signaled that talks could resume as soon as this weekend.
After reports in Russian media that the Kremlin has suspended talks on Ukraine and that conflicts in the Middle East may push Kyiv to quit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the suspension.
“This is temporary, for obvious reasons,” Peskov told reporters when asked about the report, according to Reuters.
Peskov added that as soon as “our American partners” no longer focus on the conflict in Ukraine, Moscow hopes that the deadlock will end and new talks can begin, the report said.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Danylo Antoniuk/AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video posted on X that Kyiv has received signals from the US that it is ready to resume talks aimed at ending the war.
“There has been a pause in the discussions, it is time for them to continue,” he said. “We are doing everything to ensure that the conversations are truly authentic.”
Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian negotiating team is on its way to the US and is expected to hold meetings on Saturday.
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Firefighters put out a fire in the ruins of a building following a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said “hostility” between Russia and Ukraine was getting in the way of a peace deal.
Speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, Florida, Trump said “the animosity between Putin and his colleagues is very great.”
“It’s great that, you know, Ukraine, Russia, you’d think there would be a little bit of a relationship, [but] there is no. And the hatred is too great. It is very difficult for them to get there. It’s very, very hard to get there. So we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “But we’ve come close many times and one or the other will back down.”
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U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands at a news conference following a meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on December 28, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Trump’s comments come after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in January that Russia was losing between 20,000 and 25,000 troops every month in its war with Ukraine.
The suspension of talks comes as Ukraine is increasingly drawn into the broader Middle East picture.
As the conflict in Iran is now in its third week, Ukraine is providing battlefield-tested technology and tactics to combat Iranian drone attacks.
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The US and Gulf partners have asked for Ukraine’s help, and Kyiv has indicated it is ready to share systems and personnel to help defend against Iranian air threats.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report, along with Reuters.
