Middle East war delays Ukraine–Russia peace talks as Trump administration weighs lifting oil sanctions
The United States has delayed the next round of trilateral talks with Ukraine and Russia due to the escalating war in the Middle East, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
“[Our] partners’ priority and all attention are focused on the situation around Iran, and because of this, the meeting that had been planned for this week is being postponed at the proposal of the American side,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on X. “However, Ukraine is ready for a meeting at any moment, in a format that can help and that will be realistic in terms of ending the war.”
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Zelensky also accused Russia of trying to “manipulate” the conflict and turn Iran’s strikes against U.S. allies and bases in the region “into a second front of Russia’s war against Ukraine and, more broadly, against the entire West.” “This must not be allowed,” he stressed.
Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. have held several rounds of negotiations since the beginning of 2026 aimed at ending Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Zelensky said last week that the next meeting was supposed to take place in Abu Dhabi in early March, but was disrupted by the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the Kremlin, the discussion focused on the war in the Middle East and the ongoing peace talks with Ukraine. Earlier in the day, Putin offered congratulations to Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and reiterated Moscow’s “unwavering support” for Tehran.
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Speaking at a news conference, Trump described the call as “very good” and claimed Putin had offered to help resolve the conflict with Iran. “‘I said, ‘You could be more helpful by getting the Ukraine-Russia war over with. That will be more helpful’,” Trump told reporters, as quoted by Reuters.
Trump also said that the U.S. was considering reducing oil sanctions to stabilize prices, which have topped $100 a barrel following disruptions to Middle East shipments.
“We’re also waiving certain oil-related sanctions to reduce prices. So we have sanctions on some countries. We’re going to take those sanctions off until this straightens out,” Trump explained, without specifying the countries. “Then who knows, maybe we won’t have to put them on; there’ll be so much peace,” he added.
According to Reuters sources, the Trump administration is specifically considering easing sanctions on Russia, and talks could include discussions of “broad sanctions relief” and “more targeted options” for certain countries to purchase Russian oil without U.S. penalties.
Last week, the U.S. issued a temporary 30-day waiver to allow India to purchase Russian oil already on tankers at sea. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent then stated that the U.S. could continue to ease sanctions on Russia. “We may un-sanction other Russian oil,” he told Fox Business. “There are hundreds of millions of barrels of sanctioned crude on the water and, in essence, by un-sanctioning them, Treasury can create supply, and we are looking at that.”
Update: Later on Tuesday, President Zelensky told journalists that the next round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. are planned for next week, between March 16–22. “We were ready to go to Turkey. They rescheduled the meeting. It was the American side that postponed it,” he said. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said the same in an interview with CNBC. “I think the trilateral will be shifted until some time next week,” he said. “We’re seeing signs that both sides are weary and tired. And hopefully, that’s the beginning inflection point,” Witkoff added. Russia has not commented on the planned meeting.