Kremlin Confirms Geneva Talks With U.S. and Ukraine on Feb. 17–18

Overview

• Moscow announced a trilateral Russia–U.S.–Ukraine negotiating round in Geneva on Feb. 17–18, superseding earlier reports of a U.S.-proposed meeting in Miami.
• At the Munich Security Conference, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio adopted a more conciliatory tone yet maintained key Trump administration positions.
• European leaders, including Germany’s Friedrich Merz and France’s Emmanuel Macron, urged stronger European defense autonomy and questioned recent U.S. policy directions.
• Recent Russian attacks killed at least six civilians and damaged energy infrastructure, including in Odesa, with DTEK reporting more than 100,000 Kyiv households without power after the latest strikes.
• U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said he doubts Russia is ready to agree to peace, highlighting unresolved rifts over territorial concessions and security guarantees.