According to Bloomberg, Washington has told its allies that it still sees room for negotiations between Moscow and Kiev despite the conflict in the Middle East.

The agency reported that US officials said last week they still believed it was possible to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, even though there has been no movement so far. At the same time, Bloomberg’s authors noted that the White House acknowledges how far apart the two sides remain on the core issues of the Ukrainian conflict.

The report also said Kiev faces the risk of slower deliveries of US weapons as the Middle East crisis escalates. That includes air defense missiles that European allies purchase for Ukraine.

Earlier, on March 15, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks on Ukraine had entered a pause because the United States had shifted its attention to other priorities. He later added that Moscow was expecting a new round of negotiations, although the time and venue have not yet been announced.

Since the beginning of this year, Russian and Ukrainian delegations, with US participation, have already held three rounds of talks. The latest meeting took place in Geneva on February 17–18.