Russia, the US, and Ukraine will hold a new round of peace talks in Switzerland next week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has announced.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Peskov said the negotiations to settle the Ukraine conflict will take place in a trilateral format on February 17 and 18. He added that Moscow’s delegation will be led by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who has already participated in several rounds of talks.
Peskov did not provide details on the specific Ukraine-related agenda. However, he noted that Russia hoped to continue discussing economic cooperation with the US but cautioned that any deals are contingent on progress towards the Ukraine settlement.
The last round of trilateral talks took place in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, last week. The Russian delegation was headed by Admiral Igor Kostyukov, the chief of the country’s military intelligence, and included other defense officials. The US side was represented by American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, while the Ukrainian delegation was headed by national security chief Rustem Umerov.
Peskov described the Abu Dhabi talks as “constructive but difficult,” while Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said the territorial issue remains the “main question” of the negotiations, adding that other issues also remain unresolved.
Moscow has insisted that any sustainable settlement will only be possible if Ukraine withdraws from the areas still under its control in Donbass – which voted to join Russia in 2022 – commits to remaining outside NATO, and agrees to demilitarization and denazification. Russia has also demanded that Kiev recognize its new borders, including Crimea. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out territorial concessions.
Sourse RT
