Russia changed up its roster of representatives for the latest round of trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US in Geneva Tuesday — as fresh airstrikes by Moscow underscored the steep challenges facing negotiators.
While all parties deemed the first two rounds of discussion “constructive” — in large part because of the focus on military over political issues — Russia drafted in top Vladimir Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky as lead negotiator this time around, a move one US official complained was “not a step toward a solution.”
By contrast, both the American and Ukrainian delegations remained the same.
Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump brother-in-law Jared Kushner, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich of US European Command, and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll represented the Trump administration, while former Kyiv defense minister and current secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov led the Ukrainians.
Read more at https://nypost.com/2026/02/17/world-news/russia-swaps-in-hardliner-for-third-round-of-talks-with-us-ukraine-not-a-step-toward-a-solution/
The New York Post is your source for breaking news, news about New York, sports, business, entertainment, opinion, real estate, culture, fashion, and more.
Check out our three new podcasts:
NYNext (week): https://www.youtube.com/@nynext1
Pod Force One with MIranda Devine (weekly): https://www.youtube.com/@PodForce1
NY POSTcast (daily): https://www.youtube.com/@NYPOSTcast
Get The Post’s latest headlines everyday with our Morning Report newsletter:
https://tinyurl.com/NYPOSTSIGNUP
Catch the latest news at http://www.nypost.com.
Follow The New York Post on:
Twitter – https://twitter.com/nypost
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NYPost
