Trump Issues Warning to Ukraine
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump signaled strong expectations for the Swiss-hosted discussions, describing them as "very big" when pressed on anticipated outcomes.
"Ukraine better come to the table fast. That's all I'm telling you… we want them to come," the president insisted.
The Geneva meetings, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, mark the third round of direct engagement between Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine — following two previous sessions held in Abu Dhabi in January. Diplomats say Ukraine's refusal to relinquish its claim over the Donbass region continues to be the central obstacle blocking any meaningful breakthrough.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showed no sign of softening that stance during his address at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, flatly rejecting territorial compromise and asserting that "it would be an illusion to believe that this war can now be reliably ended by dividing Ukraine." He simultaneously pressed European allies for additional weapons and renewed his push for NATO membership — a demand Moscow has repeatedly identified as a non-starter.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that negotiators had narrowed their differences but cautioned that the remaining gaps are the most difficult to bridge. "The bad news is they've been narrowed to the hardest questions to answer," he stressed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Monday that the Russian delegation in Geneva, headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, would not limit the scope of discussions. The team, he said, "intend to discuss a broader range of issues, including the main questions concerning territories... and those related to the demands we have."
Moscow's stated conditions for any lasting peace agreement include Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbass territories still under Kyiv's control — regions that voted to join Russia in referendums held in the autumn of 2022 — along with a formal renunciation of NATO ambitions and binding commitments to demilitarization and what Russia terms "denazification."
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