The United States and Ukraine discussed during talks an “ambitious goal” of agreeing on a draft peace agreement with Russia by March 2026, although the timeline could shift due to the lack of agreements on key issues, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the course of the consultations.
According to the agency, the framework under discussion envisages putting a possible agreement to a nationwide referendum in Ukraine and holding nationwide elections on the same day. Two Reuters sources said May was discussed as a benchmark, however several interlocutors called such a schedule “fantastic.”
Reuters separately points to practical and legal constraints: holding nationwide elections in Ukraine is prohibited during martial law, and election organizers previously assessed that preparing a vote under current conditions would require about six months and legislative changes. In addition, Kyiv, according to the agency’s sources, insists that a ceasefire regime is needed for the campaign in order to ensure the integrity of the vote.
In parallel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States would like to find a solution to end the war “by summer,” and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Reuters that Kyiv seeks to speed up the negotiation process, calling the U.S. role key to reaching a final agreement.
