Trump puts fate of world’s top conflicts in hands of 2 men

In February 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding ongoing peace negotiations with Russia. The conversation, which included U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, preceded a meeting between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Geneva. Discussions covered topics for the Geneva meeting, preparations for trilateral talks with Russian officials expected in early March, and a potential prisoner swap. Zelenskyy hopes the upcoming trilateral meeting will facilitate leaders-level talks with Russia to resolve complex issues and end the war. Separately, Russian economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev will also be in Geneva to meet with U.S. negotiators on economic issues.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump spoke on Wednesday, agreeing that upcoming trilateral talks with Russia in March should pave the way for a meeting of the countries' leaders. Zelensky stated the goal is to resolve complex issues and end the war. The US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also participated in the phone call. The conversation occurred before a separate meeting between Ukrainian and US negotiators to discuss post-war reconstruction. Zelensky thanked the US for its active involvement in the peace process and for providing missiles for air defense.

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged the bodies of soldiers killed in the ongoing conflict, with Russia handing over the remains of 1,000 soldiers to Ukraine and receiving 35 Russian bodies in return. The exchange follows an agreement reached in Istanbul in June 2025, aiming to return thousands of bodies and prisoners of war. This exchange occurred as Ukrainian negotiators met with US envoys in Geneva to discuss Ukraine's post-war economic reconstruction, and as preparations were underway for a third round of US-led talks involving Russia to end the conflict. While both sides regularly publish estimates of the other's losses, the BBC has confirmed nearly 186,000 Russian deaths, and Russia has returned more bodies to Ukraine than it has received, despite higher estimated Russian casualties.

On February 26, 2026, Russia launched missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, and Dnipropetrovsk, wounding at least eight people. These attacks damaged residential buildings and infrastructure, prompting air defense activation. The strikes occurred before a scheduled meeting in Geneva between Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Geneva meeting is intended to pave the way for a larger negotiation session in early March involving Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington, aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict, now in its fifth year. Kyiv hopes these talks will lead to a direct meeting between Russian and Ukrainian leaders.

US President Donald Trump has tasked Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff with resolving the war in Ukraine and the US stand-off with Iran. On Thursday, Kushner and Witkoff met with Iranian officials in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program. They then met separately with Ukrainian and Russian envoys to address the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Prior to this, the pair participated in the inaugural meeting of the "Board of Peace" regarding the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Trump's reliance on trusted associates for these critical diplomatic missions highlights his preference for a small circle of advisors over traditional government channels. The move underscores the tension in Trump’s diplomatic strategy and raises questions about the capacity of two individuals to manage such complex global issues.