A second round of trilateral talks to end the war in Ukraine has been postponed for several days after a surprise meeting this weekend between Russian and US negotiators in Florida.

The talks — among representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the US — had been expected on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. But early on Sunday afternoon Ukraine time, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said on social media that the meetings had been moved to Wednesday and Thursday.

It is not clear why they were delayed. But on Saturday, Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy, held a meeting in Florida with Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin’s special envoy and head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.

Neither side released details of what was discussed, although Witkoff said on social media on Saturday that the meeting had been "productive and constructive". The Ukrainians were not at the table.

“We are encouraged by this meeting that Russia is working toward securing peace in Ukraine,” Witkoff said.

Zelensky had suggested last week that tensions between the US and Iran could delay the peace talks. In a speech on Saturday night, he said the Ukrainians had been regularly talking to the Americans and were waiting for them to provide details on further meetings. He did not say specifically that the talks would not continue on Sunday, but he suggested they may have been pushed back.

“We are counting on meetings next week and are preparing for them,” Zelensky said.

New York Times News Service