Ukraine team heads for Geneva talks as Moscow, Kyiv build military pressure

Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the US are set to meet for a third round of trilateral negotiations to end the four-year war.Published On 16 Feb 2026Ukrainian officials have left for Geneva, Switzerland, where another round of negotiations aimed at ending the war with Russia is set to take place.“On the way to Geneva. The next round of negotiations is ahead. Along the way, we will discuss the lessons of our history with our colleagues, seek the right conclusions,” Ukraine’s Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov posted on his Telegram channel on Monday, along with a picture of him standing in front of a train with two other members of the delegation he is heading.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Zelenskyy says US ‘too often’ pushes Ukraine, not Russia, for concessionslist 2 of 4Deadly drone strikes cloud US-brokered Russia-Ukraine talks in Genevalist 3 of 4Marco Rubio wants to build a ‘new Western century’. Will Europe join?list 4 of 4Hungary’s Orban says EU bigger threat than Russia before April electionsend of listThe Geneva talks follow two rounds of the United States-brokered negotiations held in the United Arab Emirates in January and early February.The last meeting marked the first direct public talks between Moscow and Kyiv on a plan proposed by the Trump administration to end the conflict, which started with Russia invading its neighbouring country in February 2022.Russia and Ukraine described both rounds of talks as constructive, but failed to achieve any breakthrough.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said he hoped the trilateral talks in Geneva “will be serious, substantive” and “helpful for all of us”.“But honestly, sometimes it feels like the sides are talking about completely different things,” Zelenskyy said. “The Americans often return to the topic of concessions, and too often those concessions are discussed only in the context of Ukraine, not Russia.”Among the most contentious issues is the long-term fate of the eastern Ukrainian region, large parts of which Russia has occupied. Moscow is demanding that Kyiv pull its troops from the Donbas region, including heavily fortified cities that sit atop vast natural resources, as a condition for any deal. It also wants international recognition for the land it has unilaterally annexed in eastern Ukraine.