{"id":10657,"date":"2026-02-17T16:51:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/10657\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T16:51:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:51:09","slug":"russian-and-ukrainian-officials-meet-in-geneva-for-us-brokered-talks-the-irish-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/10657\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian and Ukrainian officials meet in Geneva for US-brokered talks \u2013 The Irish News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Delegations from Moscow and Kyiv have met in Geneva for another round of US-brokered peace talks, a week before the fourth anniversary of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.<\/p>\n

However, expectations for any breakthroughs in the scheduled two days of talks in Switzerland were low, with neither side apparently ready to budge from their positions on key territorial issues and future security guarantees, despite the United States setting a June deadline for a settlement.<\/p>\n

The head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, posted photos on social media of the three delegations at a horseshoe-shaped table, with the Ukrainian and Russian officials sitting across from each other.<\/p>\n

US President Donald Trump\u2019s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner sat at the head of the table in front of US, Russian, Ukrainian and Swiss flags.<\/p>\n

\"Man<\/a>\"VolodymyrVolodymyr Zelensky said Moscow should be \u2018held accountable\u2019 for the relentless attacks on Ukraine, which he said undermine the US push for peace (Michael Probst\/AP) (Michael Probst\/AP) <\/p>\n

\u201cThe agenda includes security and humanitarian issues,\u201d Mr Umerov said, adding that Ukrainians will work \u201cwithout excessive expectations\u201d.<\/p>\n

Discussions on the future of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory are expected to be particularly tough, according to a person familiar with the talks who spoke to the Associated Press.<\/p>\n

Russia is still insisting that Ukraine cede control of its Donbas region in the east.<\/p>\n

Also in Geneva will be American, Russian and Ukrainian military chiefs, who will discuss how ceasefire monitoring might work after any peace deal, and what is needed to implement it, the person said.<\/p>\n

During previous talks in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, military leaders looked at how a demilitarised zone could be arranged and how everyone\u2019s militaries could talk to one another, the person added.<\/p>\n

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov cautioned against expecting developments on the first day of talks on Tuesday as they were set to continue on Wednesday. Moscow has provided few details of previous talks.<\/p>\n

\"AA firefighter puts out a fire following a Russian air attack in Sumy, Ukraine (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) (AP) <\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s short-handed army is locked in a war of attrition with Russia\u2019s bigger forces along the roughly 750-mile front line. Ukrainian civilians are enduring Russian aerial barrages that repeatedly knock out power and destroy homes.<\/p>\n

The future of the almost 20% of Ukrainian land that Russia occupies or still covets is a central question in the talks, as are Kyiv\u2019s demands for post-war security guarantees with a US backstop to deter Moscow from invading again.<\/p>\n

Mr Trump described the Geneva meeting as \u201cbig talks\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cUkraine better come to the table fast,\u201d he told reporters late Monday as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida.<\/p>\n

It was not immediately clear what Mr Trump was referring to in his comment about Ukraine, which has committed to and taken part in negotiations in the hope of ending Russia\u2019s devastating onslaught.<\/p>\n

The Russian delegation is headed by Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s adviser Vladimir Medinsky, who headed Moscow\u2019s team of negotiators in the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul in March 2022 and has forcefully pushed Mr Putin\u2019s war goals.<\/p>\n

Mr Medinsky has written several history books that claim to expose western plots against Russia and berate Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Rescue and repair efforts are ongoing in many of our regions after a massive Russian attack. It was a combined strike, deliberately calculated to cause as much damage as possible to our energy sector. Nearly 400 drones and 29 missiles of various types were used, including\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/hHkWCFkOGB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Volodymyr Zelenskyy \/ \u0412\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0417\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439 (@ZelenskyyUa) February 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The commander of the US military \u2013 and Nato forces \u2013 in Europe, Gen Alexus Grynkewich, and secretary of the US army Dan Driscoll will attend the meeting in Geneva on behalf of the US military and meet their Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, Col Martin O\u2019Donnell, a spokesman for the US commander said.<\/p>\n

Overnight, Russia used almost 400 long-range drones and 29 missiles of various types to strike 12 regions of Ukraine, injuring nine people, including children, according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.<\/p>\n

Mr Zelensky said tens of thousands of residents were left without heating and running water in the southern port city of Odesa.<\/p>\n

Mr Zelensky said Moscow should be \u201cheld accountable\u201d for the relentless attacks, which he said undermine the US push for peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more this evil comes from Russia, the harder it will be for everyone to reach any agreements with them. Partners must understand this. First and foremost, this concerns the United States,\u201d the Ukrainian leader said on social media late Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe agreed to all realistic proposals from the United States, starting with the proposal for an unconditional and long-term ceasefire,\u201d Mr Zelensky noted.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Ukraine\u2019s Security Service (the SBU) used long-range drones to strike an oil terminal in southern Russia and a major chemical plant deep inside the country, a Ukrainian security official told AP.<\/p>\n

Drones targeted the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal, one of the biggest ports of its type on the Black Sea, in the Russian region of Krasnodar for the second time this month, starting a fire, the official said.<\/p>\n

Drones also hit the Metafrax Chemicals plant, which manufactures chemical components used in explosives and other military materials, in the region of Perm, more than 1,000 miles from the Ukrainian border, according to the official.<\/p>\n