Negotiations

Ukraine, Moscow: 'Talks concluded, difficult but professional'. Lavrov: 'Zelensky does not want peace'

Second day of US-Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Switzerland. Americans vindicate Trump's actions, Ukrainians and Russians sceptical about progress

18 February 2026

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The trilateral negotiations in Geneva between Ukraine, Russia and the US have come to an end. This was stated by Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky, saying the talks were "difficult, but professional" and saying a new round should be held soon. This was reported by the Ria Novosti news agency.

Lavrov: 'Zelensky doesn't want peace'

"Volodymyr Zelensky's recent statements at the Munich Security Conference indicate that he does not want peace". This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, writes Ria Novosti. "What Zelensky did in Munich probably doesn't even need comment. Anyone who listens to or reads what he said will be convinced that this man does not want peace. He stated this publicly,' the Russian minister pointed out in an interview with Al Arabiya. The reference is to Zelensky's statements, in which he referred to the people living in the Donbass as "creatures". Lavrov also pointed out that in one of his interviews, the Ukrainian leader called on citizens who feel part of Russian culture to "lose themselves in Russia".

Tough Shops

The positions between Kiev and Moscow "continue to diverge" on key points during the talks, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said. "You can see," he added, "that some preparatory work has been done, but for now the positions diverge on the issues of territories and the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant occupied by the Russian army," Zelensky told reporters, speaking of "negotiations that are not easy". The positions of Kiev and Moscow still "differ" on key points after the Geneva talks, Zelensky added.

Witkoff claims success for Trump

Earlier, US envoy Steve Witkoff said the talks between Ukraine and Russia had "brought significant progress" in the Washington-led initiative to end the war in Ukraine. "President Trump's success in bringing both sides together in this war has led to significant progress and we are proud to be working under his leadership to stop the killing in this terrible conflict. Both sides have agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working to reach an agreement,' he wrote on X.

Zakharova: 'Any step is important'

There were also conciliatory words from Moscow. All efforts that could lead to the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict are of great importance, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, invited to comment on the trilateral negotiations in Geneva, quoted by Tass. "Any step that can lead or guide the process towards resolving the situation is of great importance," she told radio station Sputnik.

Zelensky: sanctions against Lukashenko

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced the adoption of 'a package of sanctions' against Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, stating that Kiev will 'significantly strengthen countermeasures against any form of assistance it provides in the killing of Ukrainians'. On his own social media, Zelensky stated that 'in the second half of 2025 the Russians deployed on the territory of Belarus a system of transmission stations for drone control, thus increasing the Russian army's ability to carry out attacks on our northern regions, from the Kiev region to Volinia'. Furthermore, 'more than 3,000 Belarusian companies have been put at the service of the Russian war' and 'on the territory of Belarus they are developing infrastructure for the deployment of medium-range missiles, Oreshnik'.

Zelensky: "Results not satisfactory"

However, the Ukrainian president does not hide his delusion. "To date, we cannot say that the result is sufficient. The military discussed part of the issues, seriously and substantially. The sensitive political issues, the questions of possible compromises and the necessary meeting of the leaders have not yet been sufficiently worked out. We are counting on the next meeting, and it would be appropriate for it to take place as early as February,' Zelensky said in his evening video message.