On Friday, Russia announced that it will be engaging in the next round of peace talks with the United States and Ukraine in the coming week. Previous discussions facilitated by the US in Abu Dhabi did not yield significant breakthroughs regarding the cessation of Russia's war against Ukraine. Although participants described the previous talks as constructive, no compromises have been made on key territorial issues, indicating the complexity of reaching an agreement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously indicated that these upcoming negotiations would take place on February 17 or 18 in the US, although Russia had yet to confirm this timeline. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced today that an agreement has been reached to hold the negotiations next week, promising to provide details regarding the location and exact dates of the talks. This development marks a potential step forward after previous, unproductive meetings.

Peskov later clarified that the upcoming trilateral talks would specifically occur in Geneva on February 17 and 18. He emphasized that, unlike the two earlier rounds in Abu Dhabi, this time the Russian delegation would not be led by Igor Kostyukov, the head of the military intelligence service (GRU), suggesting a shift in Russia's approach to these crucial discussions.