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Trump speaks with Zelensky ahead of Geneva talks

2026-02-26 09:10:22, Kosova & Bota CNA

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone on February 25, a conversation that was confirmed by both sides as diplomatic efforts are intensifying ahead of negotiations in Geneva.

This conversation precedes a key meeting on February 26 in Switzerland, where the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, is expected to meet with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner.

The talks in Geneva are expected to focus on a "prosperity package" designed for Ukraine's economic recovery, while steps will be taken to organize a potential trilateral summit with Russia, which could be held in March, according to Ukrainian and American officials.

In a post on social media after the call, Zelensky stressed that Trump's envoys participated in the discussion, which focused mainly on the agenda for upcoming rounds of diplomacy.

“We expect this meeting to create an opportunity to move the talks to the leadership level,” Zelensky wrote, adding that Trump “supports this sequence of steps.” He called a direct leaders’ summit “the only way to resolve all complex and sensitive issues and end the war.”

The diplomatic maneuvers come at a time when Kiev is highlighting the fundamental differences between the warring parties.

Earlier on Wednesday, to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Zelenskyy identified "political will" and "territorial integrity" as the main points of disagreement.

“The problem is related to the political will to stop this war and the issue of territories,” Zelensky said. While acknowledging the Trump administration’s desire for a quick end to the conflict, he expressed skepticism that lower-level working groups can resolve the most contentious issues.

"I'm not sure that tomorrow we will have exactly one result... on the territories," he said, reiterating the position that for such progress, talks must move to the leadership level.

While Kiev has signaled a pragmatic willingness to consider a cessation of hostilities along the current lines of control, officials have stressed that any ceasefire must be backed by "strong" security guarantees from Washington and European allies.

Moscow, however, continues to demand that Ukraine give up additional territories in the eastern Donetsk region, a demand that Kiev has categorically rejected.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently cast doubt on a Putin-Zelensky meeting, raising questions about whether Ukraine's current negotiating position offers a "way forward."

Amid diplomatic efforts, Ukrainian officials and activists have warned that talks alone will not move the Kremlin from its stance.

In Washington, Ukrainian Ambassador Olha Stefanishyna told reporters on February 24 that diplomacy must be backed by "strength."

"The language the Russians understand is not dialogue or diplomatic efforts, it is pressure," Stefanishyna said, arguing that sanctions and battlefield resistance are effective tools to influence Moscow's calculations.

The call to increase pressure also gained momentum in Congress, where influential Republican lawmakers argued that the Trump administration should expand military support as a need to have the upper hand in negotiations.

On February 24, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called for the supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. Graham argued that the ability to strike drone and missile factories deep inside Russian territory is essential, asserting that “at this point, Putin is not serious about ending the war.”

This sentiment was echoed in the Senate by Republican Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas, who described the Russian invasion as a “strategic failure” characterized by massive human losses. Moran joined the call for Tomahawk missiles and tougher sanctions, insisting that Moscow should not be allowed to declare victory “either on the battlefield or at the negotiating table.”

Representative Don Bacon (Republican of Nebraska), speaking at the American Foreign Policy Council on February 25, called support for Ukraine a matter of global precedent.

He argued that providing long-range precision weapons and "devastating" sanctions are necessary to show that the United States will not tolerate the "violent conquest of territories."

Despite several meetings between Ukrainian, Russian, and American officials this year, no decisive progress has been achieved.

While senior American officials have privately signaled a desire to maintain diplomatic momentum, the gap between Kiev's demand for security and Moscow's demand for territory remains wide.

Zelensky has expressed a willingness to meet with Putin on neutral ground, but the success of such a meeting is likely to depend on the outcome of the talks in Geneva and the proposed trilateral round in March./REL