UKRAINE AND US HOLD FRESH TALKS IN GENEVA FOCUSED ON ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND PEACE PROCESS

Ukrainian and United States delegations began a fresh round of bilateral talks in Geneva on Thursday, shifting focus toward economic reconstruction and investment frameworks as part of broader efforts to end the nearly four-year war with Russia.

Ukraine’s chief negotiator, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, confirmed on social media that the meeting had commenced with US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Ukrainian delegation also includes lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia, Economy Minister Oleksii Sobolev, and Deputy Economy Minister Daryna Marchak.

“Together with the Government’s economic team, we will thoroughly work through the prosperity package: mechanisms for economic support and recovery of Ukraine, instruments for attracting investment, and frameworks for long-term cooperation,” Umerov wrote on X.

The discussions come as Kyiv seeks to attract approximately $800 billion in public and private funds over the next decade to rebuild the country following widespread destruction from Russian aerial strikes and frontline combat. A World Bank assessment released this week estimated Ukraine’s reconstruction needs at $588 billion based on data through December 2025.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday to coordinate ahead of Thursday’s meeting. “We expect this meeting to create an opportunity to move talks to the leaders’ level. President Trump supports this sequence of steps,” Zelensky wrote on X.

The Ukrainian leader previously indicated that territorial issues remain a major challenge and expressed doubt that clear progress on borders would emerge from the February 26 talks, saying such matters ultimately require decisions at the leaders’ level. “I am not sure that tomorrow we will have a clear result regarding land or territory, for example, because these issues, I will repeat again and again, in my opinion should be raised to the level of leaders,” Zelensky said during a press briefing earlier this week.

Umerov noted that along with economic discussions, the delegation would address preparations for the next round of trilateral negotiations involving Russia, expected in early March. “An important issue is the humanitarian track and the issue of possible exchanges. We expect concrete results regarding the return of our citizens,” he said.

The talks follow three rounds of US-mediated negotiations this year, including meetings in Abu Dhabi during January and February, and a trilateral round in Geneva on February 17-18 that yielded no breakthrough on key sticking points, particularly territorial control . Ukrainian and Russian positions remain far apart, with Moscow demanding Kyiv cede territory in the eastern Donetsk region and Ukraine refusing to relinquish land its forces have defended.

Thursday’s discussions coincide with continued Russian aerial attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. Zelensky reported that Russia launched 420 drones and 39 missiles in overnight strikes, injuring dozens and causing damage across eight regions.

Also in Geneva on Thursday, Witkoff and Kushner were scheduled to hold a third round of indirect talks over Iran’s nuclear program with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, mediated by Oman