Zelenskyy urges US to keep focus on Ukraine as Iran war dominates

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held online talks on Wednesday with US negotiators, including Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Senator Lindsey Graham, alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Kyiv is seeking to keep the Donald Trump administration’s attention on the war with Russia, even as the global agenda is increasingly shaped by the conflict with Iran.

Zelenskyy is expected to push for an Easter ceasefire and has signalled a willingness to halt attacks on Russian oil infrastructure in exchange for safeguards for Ukraine’s energy sector. Moscow has rejected the proposal, insisting on the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbas.

Kyiv regards the demand as unacceptable and says any territorial issues must be resolved at the level of national leaders.

In a post on Telegram, Zelenskyy said he had also spoken to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday and briefed him on the ceasefire proposal. ‘I informed Keir about the situation on the front: our positions are much stronger now,’ he wrote.

(reuters, pir)