Amid the US-Israel attack on Iran and turmoil in West Asia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday said that he hoped negotiations with Russia in Abu Dhabi would go ahead in the coming days, despite the conflict in the Middle East, news agency AFP reported.
The United Arab Emirates and its capital Abu Dhabi have been hit by Iranian strikes since Saturday in response to Saturday`s joint Israeli-US attack on Iran.
Following the Israel-Iran conflict, Abu Dhabi had hosted talks mediated by the United States (US) to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Zelenskyy said a new round of negotiations had been scheduled between March 5 and 8, AFP reported.
While speaking to the media, the Ukrainian President said, “The meeting should take place; it is important for us. We support this meeting.”
“If there are difficulties with Abu Dhabi because of missiles and drones, then I think we have Turkey, we have Switzerland,” he said. “We will definitely support any of these three venues for the meeting,” Zelensky added.
Kremlin speaks about Russia’s stance on negotiations
Moscow was also in favour of continuing dialogue.
“A political and diplomatic settlement remains the preferred approach for Russia,” said Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked whether Russia`s stance on the negotiations has changed after US-Iran talks failed.
Ukraine, fighting off Russia`s full-scale invasion since 2022, has repeatedly accused Iran of providing Moscow with weapons, including Shahed drones and short-range missiles.
Israel-Iran conflict’s impact on Russia-Ukraine war
Zelensky also said that US and Israeli strikes on Iran created an opportunity for the Iranian people to oust the “terrorist regime” in Tehran, Russia`s ally.
But a prolonged war with Iran may also impact deliveries of key air defence systems that Kyiv uses to fend off Russian attacks, including the US-made Patriot batteries.
“If there are prolonged hostilities in the Middle East, it will certainly affect supplies. I am sure of that,” Zelensky said.
Europe`s system to purchase US weapons for Ukraine, also called PURL is still functioning, he added.
A delay in US missile supplies in the winter made Ukraine`s civil infrastructure more vulnerable to a sweeping Russian airstrike campaign that has heavily damaged power plants, Zelensky said in January.
(With inputs from AFP)