Rhun ap Iorwerth told Sky News it was important to get the timetable "right for Wales".

Ahead of the last Senedd election in 2021, the party said it would hold a referendum by 2026 if it won a majority of seats.

That majority did not materialise, with the party winning 13 of the Senedd's 60 seats, becoming the parliament's third-largest political group.

"For me, it's about listening to Wales when it comes to the timetable," Mr ap Iorwerth said.

"I'd go independent tomorrow because I am convinced, but it really isn't about what I think. It's about the journey that we're on, with the people of Wales, the citizens of Wales, being in the driving seat."

Mr ap Iorwerth became leader of Plaid Cymru in June after the resignation of Adam Price following allegations of a toxic culture within the party.

His comments come ahead of a keynote speech on his party's proposed "journey" to Welsh independence.

It is expected Mr ap Iorwerth will respond to a recent Welsh government-commissioned report which found independence was "viable" but the "most uncertain" option for the country.

"I don't think it's particularly useful to put a date for it," Mr ap Iorwerth added.

"I've never believed in putting a date on it, but it's about encouraging that discussion so that we are ready and placed to move, should we even be asked by circumstances to move quicker than anybody had thought."

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But Mr ap Iorwerth accepted that Plaid Cymru would need to work with other parties to achieve independence.

"Independence, the future of Wales, doesn't belong to one party. Plaid Cymru's role in this is to lead the debate," he said.

"Absolutely, we need to attract the votes of people who've traditionally backed other parties, that's what politics is about. But we also need to build alliances across all sorts of political parties.

"We're engaging in one of the most fundamental questions about the future of our country and I'm ready to lead, but I don't think anybody can do this alone."