Zelenskyy signals readiness for next round of three-way peace talks
A look back at the stance Ukraine's president set out in early April 2026 on resuming negotiations with Russia and the United States.
What did Ukraine say about the next stage of peace diplomacy on 5 April 2026? The day before, on 4 April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was willing to hold the next round of peace talks with Russia and the United States, and that position framed the diplomatic picture as the new date began.
The statement came within the long-running effort to end the Russo-Ukrainian war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Negotiations have been held in several rounds since then, following the Minsk agreements of the earlier war in Donbas, which lasted from 2014 to 2022.
The two sides have set out sharply different aims. Zelenskyy has sought a ceasefire, full withdrawal of Russian troops, the return of prisoners and of kidnapped Ukrainian children, prosecution of Russian leaders for war crimes, and security guarantees to prevent further aggression. Russian president Vladimir Putin has sought recognition of all occupied land as Russian, control of all the regions Russia claims but does not fully occupy, guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO, limits on Ukraine's military, and the lifting of sanctions on Russia.
The 4 April statement did not name a date or venue for the talks. It established Kyiv's readiness to sit down again with both Moscow and Washington.
