Ukraine Peace Talks Delayed as Partners’ ‘Priority and Attention’ Focuses on Iran

March 10 ------ Talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine have been postponed at the request of Washington, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Originally scheduled for this week, the meeting has been postponed because, according to Zelensky, “the partners’ priority and all attention are focused on the situation around Iran.”

Monday marks the tenth day since US and Israeli bombs rained down on Iran on Feb. 28, killing the nation’s supreme leader along with a number of other top officials. Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, said that the US strikes that have taken place so far are “only just the beginning,” adding that Washington is “willing to go as far as we need in order to be successful.” Meanwhile, Tehran over the past 10 days has launched a series of retaliatory attacks against Israel and Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

On Monday, Zelensky reiterated in a post on X that Kyiv “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” in Ukraine, despite Washington’s deferral. He also accused Moscow of “trying to manipulate the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region in favor of their aggression, and also to effectively turn the Iranian regime’s strikes against its neighbors and American bases into a second front of Russia’s war against Ukraine.” “Evil must not be given opportunities for coordination,” Zelensky concluded.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, on Monday expressed his “unwavering support” to Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has taken over following the death of his father and predecessor in the initial strikes. “I would like to reaffirm our unwavering support for Tehran and solidarity with our Iranian friends,” Putin said, adding that “Russia has been and will remain a reliable partner” to Iran throughout the conflict.

Russia is one of Iran’s closest allies, and the pair cemented their ties with a strategic partnership agreement last year. Reports indicate Moscow is supplying Iran with intelligence to target American personnel and military assets in the Middle East, accusations that Washington has so far appeared to shrug off. Meanwhile, also on Monday, Zelensky announced that 11 countries had asked Ukraine to share its “experience in protecting lives, relevant interceptors, electronic warfare systems, and training.” Some Ukrainian drone specialists are already on their way to the Middle East, with arrivals expected later this week.

Source: kyivpost.com