Ukrainian delegation head makes first statement on Geneva talks with Russia
Photo: Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov (Getty Images)
Today, February 17, another round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US, and Russia will begin in Geneva, according to Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
Read also: Geneva talks: Key details on Ukraine-US-Russia meeting
"We have a framework for work and a clear mandate agreed upon by the President of Ukraine. Security and humanitarian issues are on the agenda," he says in his statement.
Photo: negotiations in Geneva (t.me/umerov_rustem)
Photo: negotiations in Geneva (t.me/umerov_rustem)
Photo: negotiations in Geneva (t.me/umerov_rustem)
According to Umerov, the main task of the Ukrainian negotiators is to push forward as much as possible the decisions that can bring about a lasting peace.
Russian delegation
The Russian delegation was headed by Putin's assistant and ideologist, Vladimir Medinsky, who already participated in last year's negotiations in Istanbul. However, before that, in Abu Dhabi, the Russian delegation was led by GRU chief Igor Kostyukov.
The Russian delegation consists of at least 15 people. In addition to Medinsky and Kostyukov, it includes Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, who is known for his support of the Kremlin's hard line. He has already begun to raise the issue of external control over Ukraine under the auspices of the UN.
In addition, the delegation includes GRU representative Alexander Zorin, who participated in the negotiations on Azovstal in 2022.
Other likely participants included Elena Podobreevskaya (a subordinate of Medinsky) and Alexei Polishchuk (a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry). Kremlin special representative Kirill Dmitriev also arrived in Geneva.
In January and early February 2026, several rounds of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia took place in Abu Dhabi, mediated by the US.
No significant breakthrough in ending the war was achieved, but the parties agreed on an exchange of prisoners of war, the first in five months.
Rustem Umerov said that during the trilateral talks on February 17-18, the Ukrainian side plans to raise the issue of an energy truce.
