February 18, 2026, 11:00 a.mFebruary 18, 2026, 11:00 a.m
Ukraine refuses to give up additional territories in negotiations to end the war, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyj can imagine that his compatriots could agree to freeze the conflict on the current front line. Zelensky said this to the US news portal “Axios” before Russian-Ukrainian talks mediated by the USA continued in Geneva today.
Ukraine and Russia continue negotiations in GenevaImage: Keystone
Would the Ukrainians possibly come to terms with accepting the current front line as the new status quo? “I think that people would accept that in a referendum,” said Zelensky. “That’s my opinion.” Such a referendum could be held parallel to presidential elections.
Zelenskyj believes giving up the territory is impossible
Zelensky further rejected a Russian-demanded withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the parts of the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk that they still hold. “Emotionally, people will never forgive this. Never,” said the head of state “Axios”. His compatriots would not understand why they should give up additional territories. According to Zelensky, his government has agreed with the Americans that any agreement requires approval by the Ukrainian population via referendum.
The Ukrainian head of state prefers to resolve the disputed territorial issues at a direct summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He had given instructions to the Ukrainian delegation to raise this issue in Geneva. The Kremlin does not directly reject such a summit, but has repeatedly said that such a meeting would have to be prepared accordingly – and shows no interest in concrete preparations.
The United States, Ukraine and Russia meet in Geneva to discuss a peace plan to end the war.Image: KEYSTONE
Zelensky’s only direct meeting with Putin took place during Franco-German negotiations in Paris in 2019. At that time, relations were already strained by the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014 and Moscow’s military intervention in eastern Ukraine, disguised as separatism.
Progress or dead end in Geneva?
There were different assessments of the first day of negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff wrote on X that President Donald Trump’s efforts to bring both sides together had brought “significant progress.” Russian state media, citing negotiating circles, described the atmosphere as “very tense”. Before the next round this morning from 9 a.m. it was said that we were prepared for serious work.
Today, at President Trump’s direction, the United States moderated a third set of trilateral discussions with Ukraine and Russia. Thank you to the Swiss Confederation for being gracious hosts for today’s meetings.
President Trump’s success in bringing both sides of this war… pic.twitter.com/j3fwQheMmG
— Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) February 18, 2026
Journalist Barak Ravid, who is usually well-informed as a political observer for the “Axios” portal, wrote, citing his own sources at X, that the political part of the peace talks was at a dead end. The reason for this is the positions of Moscow negotiator Vladimir Medinsky. The former Russian culture minister, who comes from central Ukraine, is said to have given lengthy historical lectures on the history of Ukraine from a Russian perspective in previous rounds of negotiations.
Zelenskyj sees no desire for peace in Moscow
In his evening video message, Zelensky continued to deny Russia any real willingness to negotiate – the recent air strikes on Ukrainian cities demonstrated this. Referring to Medinski, he said: “Imaginary chats on historical topics have greater meaning for them (the Russians).” On Wednesday night, a woman was killed and another six people were injured in a Russian drone attack on Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion with Western help since February 2022. Since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, the White House has been trying to persuade Ukraine and Russia to end the war through negotiations and mutual pressure. Ukraine’s European allies complain that they have often been overlooked as immediate neighbors in the conflict.
European security advisers included in talks
According to press reports, this time representatives of Ukraine’s European allies were also included in the talks without prior notice. The national security advisors from Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy were present. According to the Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, the advisers were at the negotiation venue in Geneva for consultations.
The Russian delegation arrives at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.Image: KEYSTONE
Ukrainian chief negotiator Rustem Umyerov later confirmed separate meetings with representatives of the US, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and host Switzerland. «We discussed the results of today’s round of talks and agreed on the next steps. It is important to maintain a common view and coordination of actions between Ukraine, the USA and Europe,” Umyerov wrote on Telegram. We know that everyone shares responsibility for the result.
Zelensky’s regular term as Ukrainian president expired in 2024. The current version of the martial law that has been in force since the Russian invasion prohibits elections and referendums. Russia’s government, which has been led by Putin for decades, denies Zelenskyj democratic legitimacy and is pushing for new elections in Ukraine – although there are fears that Moscow will try to manipulate the election to bring a Kremlin-friendly puppet government to power. (sda/dpa)