Moscow, Feb 16 (.) Ahead of Russia – Ukraine’s scheduled trilateral talks with the US in Geneva on Feb 17-18, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the discussions between the three sides in Switzerland will cover all key outstanding issues, including territorial ones.
“This time, we plan to discuss [Vladimir] broader set of issues, focusing on the key ones related to the territories and other demands. That is why the presence of our chief negotiator, [Vladimir] Medinsky, is required,” the Kremlin spokesman explained.
The issue on the roster includes the Kremlin’s continued demands that Ukraine cede the entirety of the Donbas and other occupied regions (Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson), as well as the international legal recognition of Crimea as part of Russia, while Ukraine has rejected any territorial cessation, with President Volodymyr Zelensky warning against any division of Ukrainian territory.
Other items include protection of energy infrastructure, prisoner swap, ceasefire enforcement, and Kyiv’s demands for tangible US security guarantees for at least 20 years, in a bid to prevent any future Russian aggression.
The Russian delegation will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, and has been expanded to include senior officials such as Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, and economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Ukrainian delegation will be led by the head of the Office of the President, Kyrylo Budanov, who confirmed the team’s departure on February 16, while the US side will be represented by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who previously mediated talks between Moscow and Kyiv in Abu Dhabi.
The first round of trilateral talks between all three sides happened on January 23-24 in Abu Dhabi, as the war entered its fourth year. During the talks, the Russian negotiating team was led by Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff. The second round was similarly held in the UAE capital on February 4-5.
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