Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are scheduled to meet in Geneva next week to discuss a peace plan.
The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, wrote on social media on Friday that the next round of trilateral negotiations will take place in the Swiss city on February 17 and 18. Umerov said that the Ukrainian delegation will include himself, the chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kyrylo Budanov, and others.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced that the Russian delegation will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.
In the previous round of talks earlier this month, the Russian delegation was led by a senior official from the General Staff of the Russian military.
Media in Ukraine have reported skepticism about progress in negotiations over territorial issues as Russia changed the lineup of its delegation.
US President Donald Trump was asked by reporters on Friday about prospects for the upcoming peace talks. He said, “Russia wants to make a deal, and Zelenskyy is going to have to get moving, otherwise he is going to miss a great opportunity.”
Zelenskyy on Friday visited a company in southern Germany that uses Ukrainian technology to manufacture drones. The company plans to produce about 10,000 drones by the end of the year for the Ukrainian military.
Zelenskyy said the production line to mass-produce drones is an excellent result of collaboration between Ukraine and Europe.
Ukraine plans to open 10 drone production sites in Europe.