Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: Collected

KYIV, Ukraine, Feb 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Lead Ukrainian negotiator Rustem 
Umerov will meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Geneva on Thursday, Kyiv has 
announced, ahead of fresh trilateral talks with Russia expected in early 
March.

The meetings are the latest round of negotiations spearheaded by US President 
Donald Trump that so far have failed to make meaningful progress on ending 
the Kremlin's four-year invasion of Ukraine.

"Tomorrow he will meet with American negotiators Witkoff and (Jared) 
Kushner," Ukrainian President Zelensky told a group of reporters, including 
from AFP.

He added that the meeting was part of "preparations for a trilateral meeting 
with Russia, which we believe will take place in early March".

Umerov's adviser told reporters separately that the meeting on Thursday will 
be in Geneva, which hosted talks with Russian, Ukrainian, and US officials 
earlier this month.

Other issues on the agenda for Thursday are prisoner-of-war exchanges and a 
"prosperity package" for the reconstruction of Ukraine, Zelensky said.

Witkoff confirmed the talks earlier this week saying the aim was to "explore 
different iterations about how we might get to a peace deal."

United States has been pushing for an end to the war that has entered its 
fifth year and which has killed tens of thousands and destroyed much of 
eastern and southern Ukraine.

Moscow and Kyiv remain at odds over who gets what land in a post-war 
settlement.

Russia is pushing for full control of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, and 
has threatened to take it by force if Kyiv does not cave at the negotiating 
table.

But Ukraine has rejected the demand and signalled it would not sign a deal 
without security guarantees that deter Russia from invading again.