On Tuesday, February 17, a Russian delegation arrived in Geneva for trilateral talks on a peace plan for Ukraine.
Russian Delegation’s Journey to Geneva
On Tuesday, February 17, around 8:50 Moscow time (6:50 Polish time), the Russian delegation arrived in Geneva for another round of trilateral talks on a peace plan for Ukraine. “The journey from Moscow bypassed unfriendly countries” – describes the Russian state agency TASS. So the flight, instead of taking four hours, lasted nine.
Their plane avoided most of the airspace of European Union countries. The route went through the Black Sea, Turkey, the Mediterranean Sea, and Italy, which gave Russia permission to fly over. “According to reports, the United States helped coordinate the route despite the restrictions in place in the EU, and Switzerland guaranteed the safety of the flight” – reports the Nexta portal, which showed what the Russian delegation’s route looked like.
Two-Day Negotiations in Switzerland
The negotiations have already ended, and a TASS source described the six-hour meeting as “tense”. Talks also took place in a bilateral format between the Russian Federation and the United States. The Russian agency also reports that head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky did not make a statement after the first day of talks. They will continue on Wednesday, February 18.
TASS also reports that European officials were present on site, but did not enter the room where negotiations took place. “A Western source” reported that “large topics and major compromises” were discussed.
Stances of Both Sides
The Ukrainian delegation is led by head of the Security Council Rustem Umerov. According to a source from Ukrainian Pravda, first the talks of the political bloc delegation ended, while the military group continued to work. Later, Umerov announced that both the political and military parts had already ended discussions.
The head of the Russian group was mentioned advisor to Vladimir Putin Vladimir Medinsky. According to some commentators, this may mean that the Kremlin will return to its blocking ultimatums. At the same time, Ukrainians see no signs of Russians’ willingness to compromise. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky. As he emphasized, the Ukrainian delegation is already ready for talks, while the Kremlin wants to use the last days of cold weather and attacks Ukraine.