Zelensky calls for resumption of trilateral talks with Russia and the US within the coming weeks

Vladimir Zelensky has said that Kyiv expects to resume trilateral peace negotiations with Russia and the United States within the coming weeks.

The statement came on May 20 in the Ukrainian president’s evening Telegram address.

According to Zelensky, “good contacts” between Ukrainian and American officials have laid the groundwork for resuming the talks.

“If in the coming weeks we manage to restore full trilateral communication and bring Europeans into it — that will be the right outcome. We, for our part, are ready for such steps. I expect that our partners will also be ready, and that the Russians will not hide,” Zelensky was quoted as saying by the Anadolu agency.

The trilateral format involving delegations from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States was established in January 2026. Before it collapsed amid the US-Iran conflict in March, it had gone through three rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi and Geneva. In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that resuming the negotiations “is not our main priority,” while Zelensky has repeatedly urged Washington and Moscow to set new dates.

Zelensky’s address came the day after the UN Security Council heard warnings about escalating violence. UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Director Kayoko Goto told the Council on Tuesday that between May 13 and 14, Russia launched more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles at Ukrainian cities — one of the largest aerial strikes since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

The deadliest incident occurred on May 14, when a missile strike reportedly destroyed a nine-story residential building in Kyiv, killing 24 people and wounding at least 48. In April alone, at least 238 civilians were killed and 1,404 were injured — the highest monthly casualties since July 2025. In addition, two UN convoys bearing clearly marked UN insignia were attacked on May 12 and 14.

A three-day ceasefire brokered by the United States from May 9 to 11 provided a brief respite; on May 15, the sides carried out a prisoner exchange of 205 people each. However, the UN recorded ceasefire violations by both sides during the truce period, and Russia sharply intensified its military activity immediately after it ended.

Zelensky also warned that Russia is “considering scenarios” for launching new strikes on northern regions of Ukraine from Belarusian territory, and called on Minsk to refrain from direct involvement. Goto, for her part, called for negotiations to resume “without further delay to prevent further escalation.”