"Ukraine Peace Talks Sidetracked by U.S. Focus on Middle East War"

The Middle East war, which began with the attack by the United States and Israel on Iran, is causing Ukraine's peace negotiations to lose momentum.

On the 14th (local time), smoke was seen rising due to Russian missile and drone attacks in Brovary, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

The Financial Times (FT) reported on March 15 (local time), citing four European Union (EU) diplomats involved in negotiations with Ukraine, that the war in the Middle East has diverted Washington's attention away from the peace talks.

One EU diplomat explained, "The Middle East crisis has shifted political attention significantly away from Ukraine," adding, "This is a disaster for us and for Ukraine."

The last round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks was held in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 17-18. Negotiations were originally scheduled to resume in Abu Dhabi on March 5. However, with the outbreak of the war in the Middle East last month, the talks have been postponed indefinitely. Neither the location nor the timing has been announced.

Russia has also acknowledged the delay in negotiations. Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, stated, "Talks have been temporarily suspended. The United States has other urgent matters to address, which is understandable."

In particular, the war in the Middle East is turning out to be advantageous for Russia and disadvantageous for Ukraine. Rising international oil prices and loosened U.S. sanctions have reportedly brought Russia up to an additional 150 million dollars in daily revenue. Diplomats said that, as the United States eased sanctions and reduced pressure on India to stop buying Russian oil, a significant number of oil tankers are heading to the Indian Ocean.

On the other hand, Ukraine faces concerns about a shortage of weapons. According to diplomats, as the U.S. prioritizes the Middle East war, EU countries have been notified that weapons supplies, particularly air defense systems, will be delayed. FT analyzed that this could have a significant impact on Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, told the FT, "There is clearly a problem because there is competition for the same military assets in both the Middle East and Ukraine."

Furthermore, Russia reportedly has no intention of engaging in negotiations. In talks with Ukraine, Russia has shown no willingness to compromise and has become increasingly dissatisfied with the negotiation process itself. An individual involved in unofficial back-channel contacts aimed at ending the war stated, "Negotiations are losing momentum," and emphasized, "There is a need to inject new energy into the process."

Oleksandr Merezhko, a lawmaker from President Volodymyr Zelensky's party, claimed that "nothing has changed" in negotiations with Russia and that "the obstacles remain the same." He further asserted, "President Vladimir Putin of Russia is not interested in achieving results in the negotiations; he is only interested because he could avoid sanctions from U.S. President Donald Trump."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.