Low expectations as Ukraine, Russia confirm new round of talks with U.S.

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Kyiv — The governments of Russia and Ukraine confirmed Friday that they would enactment successful a 3rd circular of U.S.-mediated bid talks adjacent week, connected Feb. 17 and 18 successful Geneva. There person already been 2 rounds of talks nether this trilateral format truthful acold this year, held successful Abu Dhabi, but adjacent week's league volition beryllium the archetypal connected European soil, and it volition travel conscionable days earlier Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine enters its 5th year.

Neither broadside has voiced immoderate optimism that the negotiations volition output a broad ceasefire agreement, but determination has been immoderate advancement connected different issues. Most notably, some sides agreed to a impermanent intermission successful attacks connected vigor infrastructure successful precocious January, and past aft the past circular of talks, they carried retired the first captive speech successful 5 months.

The specified information that the negotiations continued, with comparative continuity successful the teams sitting astir the table, had besides suggested country for progress.

But determination has been plentifulness to substance uncertainty successful Kyiv since the discussions began.

NATO Secretary General Rutte visits heavy damaged powerfulness works successful Kyiv

President Trump said the intermission successful strikes connected each other's vigor infrastructure would past a week. But it ended aft conscionable 4 days, with Russia hitting Ukraine with a caller barrage of 450 drones and much than 60 missiles.

Asked by journalists successful Kyiv this week whether aboriginal talks could astatine slightest output a much enduring truce, adjacent if it was inactive constricted to strikes connected powerfulness infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "We person not received immoderate effect from the Russians. If anything, 1 could accidental the other — we received responses successful the signifier of drones and rocket attacks. This indicates that, for now, they are not acceptable for the vigor ceasefire."

The creation of the negotiating teams, which immoderate analysts person looked to arsenic an indicator of imaginable advancement connected much method issues, has besides changed.

During some of the meetings successful Abu Dhabi, Ukraine's squad included Kyrylo Budanov, the erstwhile caput of subject quality who present serves arsenic Zelenskyy's main of staff, portion the Russian delegation was led by Igor Kostyukov, the caput of the GRU subject quality service.

"When subject guys conscionable subject guys, they tin marque progress, they talk the aforesaid language," Yuriy Sak, an advisor to Ukraine's Ministry of Strategic Industries, told CBS News past week. "The factual measures and steps wrong information guarantees — the subject guys connected some sides are good placed to discuss."

Next week successful Geneva, however, statesmanlike adjutant Vladimir Medinsky volition regenerate Kostyukov arsenic the caput of the Russian delegation, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

Medinsky led the Russian squad for a circular of talks with Ukrainian officials successful March 2022, successful Belarus and Istanbul, that went obscurity arsenic his squad made sweeping claims to occupied Ukrainian territory and demanded that Kyiv efficaciously springiness up its sovereign subject power. He is known for penning ultra-nationalistic schoolhouse textbooks questioning Ukraine's close to exist, and for his adjacent narration with President Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskyy has said the Trump medication wants some sides to hold to a woody to extremity the warfare by June. But successful Kyiv, officials question whether Washington is prepared to exert the benignant of unit connected Moscow that would marque specified a timeline feasible.

"As for whether I judge the warfare tin beryllium brought to an end," Zelenskyy told journalists this week, "it does not beryllium lone connected Ukraine. It besides depends connected the United States, which indispensable enactment unit — forgive maine for saying 'must,' but determination is nary different mode to enactment it — indispensable enactment unit connected Russia."

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