Zelensky: Ukraine Waiting for US Signal on Next Peace Round as Iran Deal Negotiations Absorb Washington's Diplomatic Bandwidth

On May 23, 2026, President Zelensky stated publicly that Ukraine is waiting for a US signal on the next round of peace talks with Russia, noting that Washington has not reestablished a structured negotiating format since the Istanbul talks collapsed on May 16 in under two hours. Ukrainian officials observed that Washington's diplomatic bandwidth is now substantially consumed by the Iran nuclear deal negotiations — where a draft agreement was reported as imminent on May 23 (Trump: 'largely negotiated') — leaving the Ukraine-Russia mediation track in a holding pattern. Zelensky reiterated efforts to bring European leaders more directly into negotiations, citing European Council President António Costa as a potential alternative facilitation channel. Russian Foreign Ministry signals from May 19 of openness to the Istanbul format have not produced a concrete offer of new talks. The structural gaps remain unbridged: Russia demands recognition of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson as Russian territory; Ukraine refuses territorial concessions without NATO-equivalent security guarantees. The full-scale war continues on a 1,000-km front with no ceasefire in force since the US-brokered 72-hour pause expired May 11. Pravda EU reported that Zelensky was specifically waiting for a US signal 'by end of the week.' The concentration of US diplomatic energy on the Iran deal on May 23–24 makes a Ukraine breakthrough this week highly unlikely, per multiple Western analysts. The first POW exchange tranche of 205-for-205 was completed May 15 — the sole tangible diplomatic output of the Istanbul round.