According to revelations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the press, the US wants Russia and Ukraine to sign an agreement to end the conflict before June.
This timeline was set in the context of US President Donald Trump preparing to shift his focus to the midterm election, considered Washington's top priority in the second half of 2026.
We have had very good exchanges related to Russia - Ukraine. Something may happen," Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One last weekend, referring to the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough.
However, according to Mr. Zelensky, the roadmap proposed by the US is "very ambitious". Not only because the gap in positions between Moscow and Kiev is still large, but also because Ukraine is forced to hold a referendum on the peace agreement before signing - a process that could take months.
New signals appeared in the second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, taking place on February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi.
According to the Ukrainian President, the Russian negotiating delegation this time has significantly changed its approach. Instead of falling into "historical arguments", Moscow entered a more substantive discussion, focusing on what they are willing to do and the impassable limits.
The exchanges were conducted in parallel in two working groups. The military group discussed the mechanism for monitoring and verifying the ceasefire order if it is announced. Mr. Zelensky said that the US side has confirmed that it will actively participate in monitoring a future ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, the political group handles the biggest bottleneck: Russia's request to force Ukraine to withdraw troops from the Donbass region that Kiev still controls.
Mr. Zelensky said Russia still maintains this request, but for the first time agreed to discuss the US proposal to establish an economic zone in Donbass, in order to narrow differences between the parties.
However, Ukraine's position has not changed. "We stand where we stand" - Mr. Zelensky emphasized.
According to the Ukrainian President, Washington is putting pressure to achieve results before the beginning of summer.
The Americans want to end the conflict before summer begins and are likely to push the parties along that timeline," he said, while bluntly stating that US attention will soon shift to midterm elections. "Electures, for them, are clearly more important. Don't be naive.
In the talks in Abu Dhabi, the biggest obstacle remains the issue of security assurance. Mr. Zelensky said that the Trump administration is currently refusing to sign a separate US-Ukraine security assurance agreement, although this document is almost completed. Washington wants to sign a security assurance package "almost simultaneously" with all other agreements within a peaceful framework.
The Ukrainian leader affirmed that Kiev wants to sign security assurances first, in order to create confidence in domestic public opinion that the peace agreement is substantive. "Conflict cannot be ended without security assurances. This is absolutely certain," he said.
