Image: from Lord Bebo X @MyLordBebo
By Open Chronicle with Agencies
GENEVA – A high-stakes round of US-mediated peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia concluded in Geneva on Wednesday without a breakthrough, leaving the prospect of a ceasefire as elusive as ever as the conflict approaches its fourth anniversary.
The two-day summit, held at the InterContinental Hotel, was abruptly cut short after just two hours on the second day. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky struck a defiant and frustrated tone, accusing the Kremlin of using the diplomatic stage to “drag out” the process while continuing its relentless assault on Ukrainian soil.
“We can state that Russia is trying to delay negotiations that could already have reached the final stage,” Zelensky wrote on X (formerly Twitter). The President highlighted the fate of occupied eastern territories and the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as the primary “sticking points” that neither side is willing to concede.
⚡️ Head of the Russian delegation, Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, on the outcomes of the tripartite talks in Geneva (February 17-18):
💬 As you know, the negotiations continued for two days – for quite a long time yesterday in various formats and about two hours today.… pic.twitter.com/g2RMM3D7HU
— Beate Landefeld (@BeateLandefeld) February 18, 2026
Mediation Under Pressure
The talks were brokered by the Trump administration, with US envoy Steve Witkoff and the President’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, acting as key mediators. Despite the lack of a formal agreement, Witkoff described the discussions as having yielded “meaningful progress,” though he stopped short of providing specifics.
For Kyiv, the diplomatic pressure is mounting. US President Donald Trump has recently intensified his rhetoric, warning that “Ukraine better come to the table fast.” In an interview with Axios, Zelensky pushed back against what he termed “unfair” pressure from Washington to make unilateral territorial concessions, insisting that any deal involving the surrender of land would have to be put to a national referendum.
Maximalist Demands
The Russian delegation was led by Vladimir Medinsky, a hardline presidential aide known for his regressive views on Ukrainian sovereignty. Medinsky characterized the Geneva sessions as “difficult but businesslike.”
However, the chasm between the two nations remains vast. Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine cede roughly 20 percent of its territory, including regions it does not fully control, and abandon its aspirations for NATO membership. Ukraine, meanwhile, remains firm on the restoration of its 1991 borders and is seeking long-term security guarantees from the West before agreeing to any freeze in hostilities.
The Human Cost
As diplomats argued in the luxury of Geneva, the reality of the war continued to bleed across the front lines. On the eve of the talks, Russian drone and missile strikes targeted the city of Zaporizhzhia, reportedly killing a woman and injuring two young children.
The war is set to enter its fifth year next week. Since the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022, hundreds of thousands have been killed, and millions remain displaced. With the latest round of talks ending in a stalemate, the international community now looks toward a potential third round of negotiations, though no date has yet been set.