The third round of the U.S.-mediated peace talks between Ukraine and Russia concluded in Geneva after two days of “tense and difficult” negotiations. While no major breakthrough was reached on the war’s fourth anniversary, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed significant progress on a ceasefire monitoring mechanism that would involve U.S. oversight. However, the talks remain deadlocked over the status of occupied territories in the Donbas and the future of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The second day of trilateral peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US in Geneva ended early on Wednesday afternoon without any significant breakthrough. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/MoHwXwakKq
— Novaya Gazeta Europe (@novayagazeta_en) February 18, 2026
The discussions were led by the U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who met with Ukraine’s Rustem Umerov and Russia’s Vladimir Medinsky. Zelenskyy accused Moscow of “trying to drag out” the process to maintain military pressure, following a massive Russian strike of 29 missiles just before the sessions began. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump continues to pressure Kyiv for a swift deal, a tactic Zelenskyy described as “not fair” during an interview with Axios, warning that a peace without security guarantees would not be lasting.
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Despite the friction, both sides described the meetings as “businesslike” and agreed to update their respective leaders before the next round of talks, which is expected to take place shortly.
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