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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the United States for "unfair" pressure on Ukraine, ahead of the second round of peace talks with Russia in Geneva, brokered by Washington and held on February 17–18, 2026. Zelenskyy said that the demand that Ukraine make concessions while Moscow does not face the same pressure is meaningless and unacceptable to the Ukrainian people.
In an interview with the American media outlet Axios, the Ukrainian president said it was “not fair” that former US President Donald Trump had publicly called for Ukraine, not Russia, to compromise, underlining that any concessions to territory, including parts of the eastern Donbas region not under Russian control, would be rejected by Ukrainians if decided through a national referendum. Zelenskyy said he hopes this is just a US negotiating tactic and not a final decision.
"I hope this is just his tactics and not his decision," Zelensky told the American website Axios.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in Geneva for the second day of peace talks, facilitated by the United States, to find possible forms of an agreement that would end the war started by the Russian invasion of 2022. According to the main Ukrainian representative, Rustem Umerov, discussions on the first day focused on practical issues and decision-making mechanisms, but the parties remain far from consensus on key issues of the conflict.
The main issues of the talks continue to be territorial control and security guarantees for Ukraine. International media reports that the US proposals include discussions on the creation of a “free” economic zone in Donbas, an idea that has caused strong reactions in Kiev and possible rejections from the Ukrainian government and citizens.
The negotiations come as armed conflict continues along a long front and attacks from both sides have not stopped, leading Ukrainian officials to raise concerns that peace must provide clear guarantees of security and territorial integrity.
Zelenskyy has also stressed that any final agreement must be ratified through a national referendum in Ukraine, placing the people at the center of decision-making about peace.
This development highlights the differences in positions between Kiev and Washington on the manner and timeframe for reaching a diplomatic solution, while negotiations continue without reaching a full consensus on the modalities of a lasting agreement to end the war.
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