Russia and Ukraine to Hold New Talks in Geneva Next Week

US-Brokered Talks to Resume on Donbas Conflict

A new round of United States-brokered talks between Russian and Ukrainian envoys is set to take place in Geneva next week. The trilateral negotiations, which follow two previous rounds in Abu Dhabi, will be held from February 17-18.

The talks come as the war approaches its four-year mark with no apparent progress on territory. Russia is seeking Ukraine’s withdrawal from a fifth of the eastern Donetsk region it still controls, while Ukraine has rejected a unilateral pull-back and demands Western security guarantees to deter future Russian aggression.

US President Donald Trump has given both sides until June to reach a deal, but the fate of Donbas remains a sticking point. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s adviser, Vladimir Medinsky, will lead Moscow’s delegation, while Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council chief Rustem Umerov will head the Ukrainian side. The talks are expected to focus on military issues, including a possible buffer zone and ceasefire monitoring.

In advance of the talks, fighting continues along the 1,250-kilometre front line, with both sides accusing each other of launching attacks. Russian forces carried out air strikes in eastern Ukraine overnight, killing three brothers between eight and 19 years old. In Odesa, one person was killed and six more injured in a Russian strike at the port and energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday, where he met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to secure support from allies before the talks. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also spoke out, saying that Russia was accruing “very slow, staggering losses” and that Moscow’s military efforts were not as effective as previously thought.

The Chinese Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met his counterpart Wang Yi in Munich, discussing peace efforts and China’s involvement in the conflict. The talks are expected to be a crucial step towards resolving the Donbas conflict, but the outcome remains uncertain.

Source: Al Jazeera