MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/. Kiev is deliberately delaying discussions on the terms for ending the armed conflict in order to wait until US President Donald Trump is no longer concerned with Ukraine due to the start of the congressional election campaign, the Strana news outlet reported.

The Ukrainian authorities see potential pressure from Trump as a major threat, so they are sticking to a strategy of delaying discussions on the terms for ending the armed conflict. At the very least, they want to hold out until Trump shifts his focus to the congressional elections and other potential issues, the news outlet’s analysts noted.

Strana also suggested that Kiev, with the help of its partners in the EU and Republicans in the US, wants to persuade Trump to pressure Russia. They plan to use the disagreements between Moscow and Washington regarding the conditions for settling the conflict in Ukraine and other issues to accomplish this.

Following the talks in Abu Dhabi, Vladimir Zelensky reiterated his opposition to withdrawing troops from Donbass. He also said that the US is seeking to end the conflict in Ukraine by the summer and will likely put pressure on Kiev to achieve this goal. He suggested that this timeline is due to "internal issues that will become more pressing for them."

In November 2026, the US will hold midterm elections, during which the Democrats hope to regain control of Congress.