Ukraine heads to Geneva for third US mediated peace talks

Monday 16 February 2026 - 15:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Ukraine heads to Geneva for third US mediated peace talks

A Ukrainian delegation departed for Geneva on Monday for a third round of trilateral negotiations with Russia and the United States scheduled for February 17 and 18, as efforts continue to advance talks that have yet to yield a breakthrough on key issues, including territorial control in eastern Ukraine.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, confirmed the delegation’s departure in a post on Telegram, sharing a photograph of team members standing beside a train carriage. “On our way to Geneva. The next round of negotiations awaits us,” Budanov wrote, adding that Ukraine’s national interests must be safeguarded.

The Kremlin announced that Vladimir Medinsky, an adviser to President Vladimir Putin who previously led unsuccessful negotiations in Turkey in 2022 and 2025, will head the Russian delegation in Geneva. He replaces Igor Kostyukov, chief of military intelligence, who led Moscow’s team during two earlier rounds in Abu Dhabi. The change in leadership signals that the upcoming discussions may extend beyond military and security arrangements to broader political disputes.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Geneva talks would address “the main issues,” including territorial questions. He told reporters that the intention this time is to examine a wider range of topics, suggesting a more comprehensive agenda than in previous sessions.

The Ukrainian delegation includes Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, parliamentary faction leader Davyd Arakhamia, and Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of military intelligence.

The first two rounds of negotiations, held in Abu Dhabi on January 23 and 24 and February 4 and 5, focused largely on military matters, particularly ceasefire monitoring mechanisms. Those meetings resulted in a prisoner exchange and an agreement to resume high level military dialogue between Washington and Moscow, but they did not produce progress on territorial disputes.

Control of the Donbas region remains the central obstacle. Russia continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from roughly 20 percent of the Donetsk region that remains under Kyiv’s authority. Ukraine has rejected any concession of territory that Russian forces have failed to secure on the battlefield. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian troops since 2022, is also a point of contention.

President Donald Trump has reportedly set a June deadline for the two sides to reach an agreement, though expectations for a near term breakthrough remain limited. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said US pressure was linked in part to domestic political considerations ahead of midterm elections.

Zelensky stated that Ukraine wants the outcome of these diplomatic efforts to deliver genuine security and a lasting peace, while also criticizing Washington for pressing Kyiv rather than Moscow to make concessions. The upcoming Geneva round will test whether the expanded format can narrow the gap on issues that have stalled negotiations so far.