Bloomberg: Despite Focus on Iran War, U.S. Still Believes Ukraine and Russia Could Restart Negotiations
On April 1, according to sources familiar with the discussions cited by Bloomberg, despite Washington's strategic focus shifting toward the Middle East, the United States still believes that a new round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia is possible.
The U.S. has informed its allies last week: although there is currently no progress in talks, it still believes that efforts can be made to bring both sides to the negotiating table. However, U.S. officials have also acknowledged that the positions of the conflicting parties remain far apart, and no realistic opportunity to advance negotiations has yet emerged.
In 2026, Ukraine held multiple rounds of negotiations with Russia under U.S. mediation, but failed to reach agreement on ceasefire terms. The core disagreement centered on Russia’s demand that Ukraine relinquish the Donbas region, which had not been occupied, while Kyiv firmly rejected this condition.
Zelenskyy explicitly refused to trade territorial concessions in Donbas for other regions, arguing that although Russia might control border areas, Ukrainian forces would eventually drive out the occupiers. He also insisted that future territorial issues must be resolved through high-level leadership meetings.
Zelenskyy once claimed that the United States set preconditions for Ukraine’s security assurances, requiring it to withdraw from Donbas. Secretary of State Rubio subsequently denied this categorically, stating that Washington had never imposed such withdrawal conditions on Ukraine, calling Zelenskyy’s remarks "lies."
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1861270792065035/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.