Ukrainian and Russian envoys hold second day of US-brokered talks in Geneva

Ukrainian soldiers control a drone to send food to fellow troops on a mission on the front line near Kostyantynivka (Iryna Rybakova/Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade via AP)

Envoys from Moscow and Kyiv have met in Geneva for a second consecutive day of US-brokered talks.

“Consultations are taking place in working groups by areas within the political and military tracks,” the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, wrote in English on X. “We are working on clarifying the parameters and mechanisms of the decisions discussed yesterday.”

The negotiations in Switzerland are the third round of direct talks organised by the US after meetings earlier this year in Abu Dhabi that officials described as constructive but yielded no breakthrough.

In Geneva, the second day of trilateral negotiations has begun.

Consultations are taking place in working groups by areas within the political and military tracks. We are working on clarifying the parameters and mechanisms of the decisions discussed yesterday.

We are focused on…

— Rustem Umerov (@rustem_umerov) February 18, 2026

US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on social media that Washington’s push for peace in Ukraine over the past year has “brought about meaningful progress”. He did not elaborate, and the fighting has continued.

The two armies are locked in battle on the roughly 750-mile front line, while Russia bombards civilian areas of Ukraine. Overnight, Russia launched one ballistic missile and 126 long-range drones at Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said.

A Russian drone strike in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia killed a woman and injured seven people, including two small children, according to regional military administration chief Ivan Fedorov.

Russia and Ukraine appear to still be far apart on their demands for a peace settlement.

Ukrainian soldiers ahead of assignments on the frontline near Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region (Iryna Rybakova/Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade via AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered a ceasefire and a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Moscow wants a comprehensive agreement before committing to a truce.

Mr Putin’s key goals remain what he declared when Russia invaded its neighbour on February 24, 2022, that Ukraine must renounce joining Nato, sharply reduce the size of its army and protect Russian language and culture to keep the country in Moscow’s orbit.

Additionally, Mr Putin wants Kyiv to withdraw its forces from the four regions Moscow has occupied but does not fully control.

Mr Zelensky says Ukraine will not surrender land to Russia.