Washington says its team remains actively engaged in efforts to end the war, as Moscow signals no shift in America’s position and Kyiv eyes fresh round of three-way negotiations.
The United States’ negotiating team continues to work towards a settlement of the Russia–Ukraine conflict and is making “good progress,” the Pentagon’s policy chief has told senators, stressing that Washington’s ultimate objective remains peace.
Speaking at a Senate hearing, Elbridge Colby, the US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, said: “Our negotiating team continues its work.” He added that American negotiators were “achieving good progress” in their efforts.
Colby rejected accusations from Senator Jeanne Shaheen that Washington was failing to exert sufficient pressure on Moscow. He argued that the administration was applying economic measures against Russia while actively facilitating arms deliveries to support Ukraine.
Despite criticism in parts of the press, Colby said both he and the administration were personally involved in the process. However, he emphasised that the central aim of US policy was to secure peace.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to questions about whether tensions in the Middle East could affect negotiations over Ukraine. According to Peskov, the Kremlin has so far seen no indication of a shift in the US position regarding the talks.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a fourth round of trilateral negotiations on a Ukrainian settlement could take place between March 5 and 8. He noted that the meeting had initially been planned for Abu Dhabi, but recent developments made it difficult to confirm the venue.
The third round of trilateral talks between representatives of Russia, the United States and Ukraine was held in Geneva on February 17-18. The Russian delegation was led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who described the discussions as “difficult, but businesslike.”
