On the eve of a planned trilateral meeting between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in Geneva, Donald Trump publicly said that Kyiv, in his view, should move to negotiations as soon as possible.
While speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, the US president was asked what outcomes he expected from the talks scheduled for February 17–18. In response, Trump delivered an unusually blunt message, stressing that, in his view, the initiative should now come from the Ukrainian side.
“It’s going to be very simple. Listen, right now Ukraine would be better off sitting down at the negotiating table as soon as possible—that’s all I’m going to tell you. We’re in a position where we want them to sit down at the negotiating table,” he said.
The meeting in Geneva will take place on February 17–18. The Russian delegation will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, while Ukraine will be represented by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov. The United States will be represented by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner—they have already flown to Geneva from Miami.
Several days ahead of the talks, Trump also said that Russia, in his words, is ready for a deal, and that Volodymyr Zelensky “needs to start acting,” otherwise he “will miss out.”