Zelenskyy says U.S. sought postponement of talks on war settlement, Ukrainian media reports

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was quoted as saying on Friday the U.S. had sought a postponement of the latest round of three-sided talks on a settlement to Ukraine’s ​four-year-old conflict with Russia.

Zelenskyy, whose comments were quoted by various Ukrainian media outlets at the end of a visit to France, ⁠said the U.S. side had said its negotiators were not permitted to ‌leave the United States in view of ​circumstances in the Middle East.

He said discussions about the next round were akin to a soap opera “because of the war in the Middle East.”

“The Americans said they were ⁠ready to meet, but only in America ‌as the war and ‌the security situation barred them from leaving the U.S.,” the state news agency Ukrinform quoted Zelenskyy ⁠as saying.

The Ukrainian delegation, he said, was ready to meet in Miami or Washington, but Russia rejected the ‌proposal and suggested meeting ‌in Turkey or Switzerland, a proposal ruled out by the U.S.

“We immediately said that we were ready for a ⁠meeting next week, we are preparing for a ​meeting in America, in ⁠Switzerland, ​in Turkey, and even, if they are not afraid, in the Emirates,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying.

Ultimately, he said, staging the next round of talks depended ⁠on the U.S. side. Washington’s negotiating team has been led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s ⁠son-in-law.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Zelenskyy’s remarks.

Ukraine and Russia have held two sets of U.S.-brokered talks in the United ⁠Arab Emirates since the beginning ‌of the year and a further ​round in ‌Geneva last month.

The main sticking point remains territory and ​Russia’s demand for Ukraine to give up parts of its Donbas region that Moscow’s forces have not captured.