Overview
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said NSDC chief Rustem Umerov will meet U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Feb. 26 to discuss a prosperity package, prisoner exchanges and preparations for a trilateral round.
- Zelensky and President Donald Trump held a phone call ahead of the meeting and aligned on a sequencing that could lead to leader-level talks, though no summit is confirmed.
- Ukraine expects the next trilateral session with Russia in early March, while the Kremlin says dates and venue are not yet coordinated.
- Ukraine’s economic team will join the talks as Kyiv seeks large-scale reconstruction financing, with a new World Bank assessment estimating $588 billion in recovery needs.
- The Feb. 17–18 Geneva round ended without a breakthrough on territory or a ceasefire, with Russia pressing for broader control in Donetsk and Ukraine rejecting territorial concessions without strong security guarantees.