Geneva, Feb 17, 2026 — Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Geneva ended abruptly on Wednesday after lasting only about two hours, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the discussions as “difficult” and accused Moscow of deliberately delaying progress toward a deal to end the nearly four-year war.
The U.S.-mediated negotiations, hosted in Switzerland, came as U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested in recent days that it was up to Ukraine and Zelenskiy to take steps to ensure the success of the talks.
“Yesterday’s meetings were indeed difficult, and we can state that Russia is trying to drag out negotiations that could already have reached the final stage,” Zelenskiy wrote on X on Wednesday.
Minutes after Zelenskiy’s remarks, Russia’s state news agency RIA reported that the talks had ended. Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told reporters that further negotiations would be held soon, though he did not provide a date.
A Ukrainian official confirmed that the Geneva talks had ended, saying they lasted “around two hours.”
In an interview with U.S. website Axios published Tuesday, Zelenskiy was quoted as saying it was “not fair” that Trump had publicly urged Ukraine — but not Russia — to make concessions.
Zelenskiy also said any plan requiring Ukraine to surrender territory Russia has not captured in the eastern Donbas region would be rejected by Ukrainians if put to a referendum.
“I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision,” Zelenskiy was quoted as saying.
Trump told reporters on Monday: “Ukraine better come to the table fast. That’s all I’m telling you.”
The Geneva negotiations took place just days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine — a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and devastated cities and towns across the country.
Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians.
Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, said Tuesday’s talks focused on “practical issues and the mechanics of possible decisions,” though he offered few details.
Russian news agencies, however, quoted a source saying Tuesday’s discussions were “very tense” and lasted six hours across bilateral and trilateral formats.
Ukraine’s government bonds fell as much as 1.9 cents on the dollar in European morning trading amid reports of stalled negotiations.
Ahead of the talks, Umerov had lowered expectations, saying the Ukrainian delegation was working “without excessive expectations.”
The Geneva meeting followed two earlier rounds of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi, which ended without major breakthroughs as the two sides remained far apart on key issues — especially territorial control in eastern Ukraine.
Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized before the 2022 full-scale invasion.
Recent Russian airstrikes targeting energy infrastructure have also left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without heating and electricity during a harsh winter.