The American delegation, led by Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff and former President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, expressed a desire to hold the vote as soon as possible during recent meetings with Ukrainian representatives in Abu Dhabi and Miami.
According to two sources, the possibility of organizing elections and a referendum as early as May was discussed, but other sources assessed this timeline as unrealistic. "The Americans are in a hurry," emphasized one of the discussion participants, adding that even with expedited preparations, the process of organizing the vote will take a lot of time.
From the Ukrainian side, there is also a question of a ceasefire during the voting period to ensure its security. One source noted that Kyiv insists that any agreements are impossible without receiving security guarantees from the United States and its allies.
The recent round of negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. took place on February 4-5 in Abu Dhabi, while the previous meeting was held there on January 23-24. The discussions were conducted in a closed format.
