U.S. and Ukrainian officers concluded talks in Geneva on Thursday (February 26, 2026) to debate advancing efforts to finish Russia’s four-year invasion of Ukraine, simply as Moscow signalled it was in no hurry to signal a deal.
An AFP reporter noticed the U.S. delegation leaving Geneva’s Resort des Bergues, the venue of the talks, and the Swiss company ATS-Keystone printed a photograph of the Ukrainian lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, leaving the resort.
U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for an finish to Europe’s deadliest battle since World Warfare II, however has to date did not dealer any deal between Moscow and Kyiv.
Earlier rounds of U.S.-led negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officers in Geneva and Abu Dhabi have did not yield a compromise, together with on the important thing sticking level of territory.
Russia, which has signalled it is not going to budge on its calls for for full management of Ukraine’s jap Donetsk area, mentioned Thursday it was too early to forecast when a deal would happen.
“Have you ever heard something from us about deadlines? We’ve no deadlines, we now have duties. We’re getting them completed,” Russian International Minister Sergei Lavrov advised state media.
Kyiv says the one approach of breaking the impasse is a leaders’ assembly between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and that it goals to put the bottom for such a summit throughout talks on Thursday (February 26, 2026).
“In the present day in Geneva we proceed our work throughout the framework of the negotiation course of. A bilateral assembly with the American delegation has begun — with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,” Ukrainian negotiator Umerov mentioned earlier.
Ukraine goals to “synchronise positions” with the U.S. forward of contemporary trilateral talks in March, he added.
Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev was current on the talks venue in Geneva on Thursday, although there was no indication he met with the Ukrainian facet, in response to Russian state media.
Dmitriev declined to remark when he was met by the press after leaving the negotiations, in response to a video circulated in pro-Kremlin retailers.
Drone, missile assaults
Hours earlier than the assembly, Russian forces launched some 420 drones and 39 missiles at Ukraine, wounding greater than two dozen individuals in a minimum of six completely different areas, in response to authorities.
AFP journalists heard a number of explosions in central Kyiv shortly after authorities warned Russia had launched its assault.
The strikes hit an electrical energy substation within the southern Odesa area, in addition to a college constructing within the southern Zaporizhzhia area, in response to officers.
“Destruction has been recorded in eight areas, with many personal houses and condo buildings broken,” Mr. Zelenskyy mentioned.
Additionally forward of the assembly, Russia introduced that it had returned the our bodies of 1,000 killed Ukrainian troopers to Ukraine, whereas Moscow acquired 35 Russian our bodies in change.
The 2 sides recurrently change the stays of killed serviceman, one of many few areas of cooperation between the warring nations.
Mr. Zelenskyy spoke with Mr. Trump on Wednesday forward of the talks, with U.S. Envoys Witkoff and Mr. Kushner a part of the 30-minute name.
“We anticipate this assembly (in Geneva) to create a possibility to maneuver talks to the leaders’ stage. President Trump helps this sequence of steps,” Mr. Zelenskyy mentioned.
After first refusing to barter with Russia, Mr. Zelenskyy has repeatedly mentioned that the one strategy to resolve tough points, together with territory, is thru a gathering with Mr. Putin.
Talks between Moscow and Kyiv stay deadlocked over the destiny of the Donbas — the economic area in jap Ukraine that has been the epicentre of the combating.
Russia is pushing for full management of Ukraine’s jap Donetsk area, and has threatened to take it by power if Kyiv doesn’t cave on the negotiating desk.
However Ukraine has rejected the demand and signalled it might not signal a deal with out safety ensures that deter Russia from invading once more.
Revealed – February 27, 2026 02:00 am IST