US-backed peace talks to end the fighting in Ukraine have been effectively suspended since late February, when Washington's attention shifted to the Middle East conflict, The New York Times reports.

With negotiations currently on life support, Kyiv is distancing itself from the US and relying on its own defense industry and drone production.

As Harry Nedelcu, senior director of the European political consulting firm Rasmussen Global, told the publication, there is no longer a real negotiating process. Russia currently has no incentive to do so, and the United States no longer appears to be a reliable and reasonable mediator between the two sides.

Against the backdrop of Donald Trump's unpredictable foreign policy, Ukraine is actively expanding its defense industry and signing agreements to share drone expertise with other countries. Ukrainian Ambassador to NATO Olena Hetmanchuk stated that Ukraine currently produces most of the drones it uses domestically, and Ukrainian interceptor drones have shot down more than 60 percent of Russian UAVs.