President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the next round of trilateral talks with the USA and Russia on ending the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine will be held in Switzerland again. He said this in an interview with Piers Morgan, published on YouTube on the evening of 18 February.
“I want to emphasise that the next meeting will also be in Switzerland. This is the information I have as of today. Of course, our group will come back and I will have more detailed information than I have now on the phone,” the president said. The head of state did not give the planned date of the talks.
Zelensky emphasised the importance of holding negotiations exactly in Europe.
“I think the good point is that the meeting was held in Switzerland. It is-very important. I always say this with respect for the Middle East and other countries, but I believe that if the war is in Europe, then also… Peace talks should be in Europe,” the head of state said.
Earlier, at the conclusion of the talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia in Geneva, Switzerland, which lasted on 17 and 18 February, Zelensky said that there had been progress in military aspects, but that “sensitive issues” remained in the political spheres. “While the positions are different, because the negotiations were not easy … That is, in the military direction I heard progress, in the political direction – there was dialogue, they agreed to go further, agreed to continue. I have not heard such progress as in the military direction,” the president added, noting that he would know the details upon the group’s return to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was “too early” to assess the results of the talks. There was no previous comment from U.S. officials.
Speaking to Russian state media after the official talks ended on 18 February, Moscow’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said the talks had been “difficult but businesslike” and that there would be further meetings.
Before that, White House chief envoy to Geneva Steve Whitkoff said “significant progress” had been made. “Both sides agreed to provide updates to their respective leaders and to continue to work toward an agreement,” he wrote in a message on X.
Details of the talks were not disclosed.
The talks, which lasted two days in Geneva on 17 and 18 February – the third round of trilateral meetings held over the past month – focused on two of the most difficult obstacles to ending Russia’s war against Ukraine: territorial claims and security guarantees.
The meetings took place a week before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, which has killed or injured nearly two million people on both sides.
Despite U.S. efforts to mediate an end to the war, Russia has shown no willingness to back down from its tough demands, which include Ukraine’s relinquishment of Donbass territories.
Meanwhile, Ukraine insists on strong security guarantees from the U.S. and European allies to help protect it from future Russian aggression.