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Trilateral Ukraine, US, Russia talks could be postponed as US focused on Iran, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine was meant to continue its trilateral talks with the US and Russia this weekend, but Zelenskyy hinted at a possible delay, as the US appears to be focused on Iran instead.
“It is very important for us that everyone we agreed with be present at the meeting, because everyone is expecting feedback,” he said in comments reported by Reuters.
“But the date or the location may change – because, in our view, something is happening in the situation between the United States and Iran. And those developments could likely affect the timing,” Zelenskyy said.
US state secretary Marco Rubio had said earlier this week that president Donald Trump’s top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who attended the previous round of talks, would not participate in the weekend meeting in Abu Dhabi.
It was unclear in the talks could go ahead in another format.
Morning opening: Ukraine's Zelenskyy doubles down on 2027 target for EU accession
Jakub Krupa
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy doubled down on suggestions that Ukraine would be “technically” ready to join the European Union in 2027, despite pushback from some European leaders this week suggesting that his insistence on a fast-tracked accession was unrealistic and even unnecessarily antagonising some in the bloc.
Luxembourg’s foreign minister, Xavier Bettel, insisted on Thursday that “we have rules and we need to respect them,” as he stressed that he repeatedly asked Zelenskyy to stop putting pressure on the EU on the timing as it was counterproductive.
Even EU’s top official in charge of the enlargement, commissioner Marta Kos, hinted that while the political will was there, more might be needed (Europe Live, Thursday here and here).
“Technically, we will be ready in 2027,” Zelenskyy told reporters, Reuters reported, adding that by the end of 2026 Ukraine will have implemented the main steps required for membership.
I think the European Commission may have a slightly more nuanced view on that, given its last year’s progress report pointing to “some level of preparation” in many areas, with only limited progress on some of the key issues, such as fight against corruption, or insufficient capacity in some areas looked at by the EU.
But Zelenskyy made it clear that primarily he primarily wanted to get “a clear timeline” to know what are the real prospects of joining the bloc, seeing it as an important part of security guarantees after the war as he is expected to continue trilateral talks with Russia and the US in the upcoming days.
But remember: EU enlargement requires unanimous decision by the 27 member states, and Hungary not only has long opposed a fast-tracked accession of Ukraine, but the relations between the two countries have markedly worsened in the last few weeks.
“95% of Hungarians have rejected Ukraine’s fast-tracked EU membership because they want to protect our farmers, the safety of our families, and peace in Hungary,” the country’s pro-Russian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, said yesterday.
The issue is likely to feature prominently in the upcoming parliamentary election in Hungary, which could see a change of government after Orbán’s 16 years in power.
Let’s see if we get more reactions from the EU on this today. I will bring you all the latest.
It’s Friday, 30 January 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
