Moscow says diplomacy remains its preferred path to end the conflict, even as fighting continues and territorial disputes remain unresolved.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Kremlin said March 2 that Russia continues to favor a political and diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine, even as the conflict stretches into its fourth year and negotiations remain stalled.
“Russia maintains its position, repeatedly stated by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, that a political and diplomatic settlement is the preferred method [for resolving the Ukrainian conflict],” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
“Russia remains open to ensuring that its interests are secured through these methods, peaceful methods,” he added.
Despite three rounds of U.S.-mediated negotiations since the start of 2026, Kyiv and Moscow remain at an impasse. The war, which escalated dramatically in February 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion, entered its fourth year last month with continued combat operations and no ceasefire in place.
Peskov said Moscow “highly values” Washington’s mediation efforts but emphasized that Russia prioritizes its own strategic objectives. “We trust ourselves first and foremost, and it is we who defend our own interests,” he said, adding that it is in Russia’s “interests to continue these negotiations, and we will certainly remain open to them.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said March 2 that a new round of U.S.-brokered talks remains scheduled for the coming week, despite recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that have heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Zelenskyy indicated that the location of the talks may change. The meeting had been set for March 5 and 6 in Abu Dhabi, but Turkey or Switzerland are now under consideration as alternative venues.
“Due to the ongoing hostilities, we cannot confirm that the meeting will take place in Abu Dhabi, but, nevertheless, no one has cancelled the meeting,” Zelenskyy told reporters during a WhatsApp briefing, according to Reuters.
Territorial disputes remain a central obstacle. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and has since seized additional territory following its 2022 offensive. Russian forces now control approximately 20 percent of Ukraine’s pre-2014 territory, including most of Donetsk Province in the eastern Donbas region.
Moscow has demanded that Kyiv relinquish control of roughly 20 percent of Donetsk Province that remains under Ukrainian authority. Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine will not agree to withdraw from those areas.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine has emerged from the winter months with resilience despite sustained Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. However, he cautioned that a prolonged conflict could affect military assistance.
The Middle East conflict has not yet disrupted allied weapons supplies, he said, but acknowledged that “a long war—if it is to be long—and the intensity of the fighting will affect the amount of air defense equipment we receive.”
Zelenskyy also warned that Russian forces are preparing renewed strikes, particularly targeting water infrastructure. “Russia is preparing a new wave; it will attack infrastructure, logistics, and water supply. They want us to have problems with water,” he said, according to Ukrainian state media outlet Suspline.
“We, for our part, must obtain more missiles for air defense,” he added.
Ukraine’s energy sector has sustained extensive damage during the winter campaign. Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said Jan. 16 that “there is not a single power plant left in Ukraine that has not been hit by the enemy during the war.”
While Moscow publicly reiterates its openness to diplomacy, the battlefield situation and unresolved territorial demands continue to complicate prospects for a negotiated settlement.
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