Washington, DC – Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Special Representative Steve Wittkopf, along with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, will participate in a crucial round of peace talks concerning the Ukraine crisis. The talks are scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland, next Tuesday.
A highly anticipated three-way meeting
The source reported that Wittkopf and Kushner will lead the US mediation efforts in trilateral talks
with representatives from Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon.
This high-level participation reflects Washington’s seriousness in pushing for a final settlement to the conflict.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the talks will continue on February 17 and 18.
The Kremlin also noted a change in the leadership of the Russian delegation. Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to the Russian president, will head the delegation in Geneva. He will replace Igor Kostyukov, who led the previous two rounds.
From Abu Dhabi to Geneva: The path of negotiation
The Geneva round of talks follows up on the closed-door “Security Working Group” meetings hosted by the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, in late January and early February.
Those initial understandings led to the successful “157-for-157” formula between Russia and Ukraine as a goodwill gesture. This resulted in a focus on the outstanding issues in the initiative proposed by President Trump to end the war.
Features of the American “peace plan”
According to international media reports, the American initiative includes key provisions aimed at freezing the conflict. Among the most prominent are the transfer of the entire Donbas region to Moscow’s control. Additionally, there is its recognition, along with Crimea, as Russian territory.
It also includes a freeze on military operations along most of the front lines in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and a halving of the number of Ukrainian troops. Furthermore, it includes a complete ban on the deployment of foreign forces or long-range weapons on Ukrainian territory.
The Russian position and the basic condition
The Kremlin indicated that the US administration acknowledged the need to resolve the regional issue according to the “Alaska Summit formula” to ensure a lasting settlement. Moscow insists, as a precondition, on the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbas region before signing any final agreement.
The upcoming Geneva round represents a true test of the ability of Trump’s “deal diplomacy” to end the longest military conflict in Europe since World War II.
