A bilateral meeting began in Geneva on February 26 between the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, and representatives of the United States of America — the special envoy of the U.S. President, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former President Donald Trump.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Discussion on Economic Support and Investments
According to Rustem Umerov, the Ukrainian delegation, along with the government’s economic team, is thoroughly examining the implementation of the prosperity package. The focus is on mechanisms for economic support and recovery of Ukraine, ways to attract investments, and deepening long-term cooperation between Ukraine and the USA.
Additionally, with the participation of the head of the parliamentary faction “Servant of the People,” David Arakhamia, preparations for the next stage of trilateral negotiations, which will also involve the Russian side, are being discussed. Umerov emphasized the need to coordinate positions before this important round.
“Together with the government’s economic team, we will thoroughly work on the prosperity package: mechanisms for economic support and recovery of Ukraine, tools for attracting investments, and long-term cooperation. We will also discuss preparations for the next round of trilateral negotiations involving the Russian side with David — it is necessary to synchronize positions before this stage,” Umerov wrote on social media.
Humanitarian Dimension and Further Negotiations
An important direction of the negotiations has been identified as humanitarian issues, particularly the possibility of future exchanges and the return of Ukrainian citizens from captivity. Umerov stressed that the Ukrainian delegation is working to achieve practical solutions and promised to report on the outcomes after the meeting concludes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously announced the start of this meeting. He suggested that the next round of trilateral negotiations involving Ukraine, the USA, and Russia regarding the cessation of hostilities could take place in early March.
Several rounds of such trilateral negotiations have already taken place in January and February, but specific results have not yet been reported. It is known only that during the meeting on February 5, the parties reached an agreement on conducting a prisoner exchange — the first in the last five months.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff recently expressed hope for positive news in the coming weeks in an interview with American media and did not rule out a possible meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Before the negotiations began in Geneva, the U.S. President stated that Ukraine should “quickly come to the negotiating table.” Donald Trump had previously noted that, in his opinion, Russia seeks to reach an agreement regarding the war in Ukraine.
Despite active U.S. mediation, the Russian Federation continues to adhere to strict demands, including Ukraine’s renunciation of part of the territories in Donbas. The Kremlin does not agree to Western security guarantees for Ukraine and insists on fulfilling its maximalist goals, international analysts note.
Ukraine, for its part, insists on receiving reliable security guarantees from the USA and European partners to safeguard the country from future Russian aggression.