Kremlin says main Ukraine issues will be discussed in Geneva talks, including territory


A man walks near damaged cars at the site of a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine February 13, 2026. REUTERS/Nina Liashonok

MOSCOW, Feb 16 (Reuters) - The ⁠Kremlin said on Monday that what it called ⁠the "main issues", including sensitive questions of territory, would ‌be discussed in peace talks on Ukraine due to be held in Geneva this week.

The talks - between Russia, Ukraine and the United States - are ​due to take place on Tuesday ⁠and Wednesday at a time ⁠when Kyiv is under mounting U.S. pressure to strike a ⁠deal ‌and as Moscow demands it cede the entirety of the Donbas area.

The Kremlin confirmed that ⁠the Russian delegation would be led by Vladimir ​Medinsky, an aide ‌to President Vladimir Putin.

"This time, the idea is ⁠to discuss ​a broader range of issues, including, in fact, the main ones. The main issues concern both the territories and everything else ⁠related to the demands we have ​put forward," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

He said military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov would also take part in the ⁠talks and that Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev would take part in a separate working group on economic issues.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is keen to ​broker an end to a conflict ⁠he has called a senseless "bloodbath" though Russia and Ukraine remain far ​apart on key issues including territory, ‌who controls the Zaporizhzhia nuclear ​power plant, and the role of any Western troops in post-war Ukraine.

(Reporting by Reuters;Editing by Andrew Osborn)

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