Kremlin Confirms Geneva Talks on Ukraine
During a press briefing on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated, "No, it's only a trilateral format, meaning Russia, America, and Ukraine. There won't be any Europeans there," rejecting suggestions that the European Union or other international bodies would be involved.
The discussions are set for Feb. 17-18 in Geneva, Switzerland, and have been described as the next phase of mediation efforts led by Washington. Peskov indicated that Russia’s delegation will be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.
Earlier the same day, he had confirmed that an understanding had been reached to convene another round of negotiations “next week,” though he did not provide additional specifics at that time.
Prior to the Geneva meeting, Russian and Ukrainian representatives participated in two rounds of talks brokered by the United States in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates—one in January and another earlier this month. Those sessions resulted in an agreement to conduct the first prisoner exchange in five months.
Momentum for continued dialogue has grown since the most recent meeting on Feb. 4-5. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated earlier this week that the next talks were expected to occur on Feb. 17-18.
While US officials have not publicly responded to Peskov’s latest remarks, Zelenskyy’s communications advisor, Dmytro Lytvyn, also confirmed both the timing and venue in statements to Ukrainian media, according to reports.
In a subsequent message shared on Facebook, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov said Kyiv’s delegation has already started preparing for the upcoming negotiations.
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