Donald Trump has piled pressure on Ukraine to reach a deal with Russia “fast” before US-brokered talks in Geneva on Tuesday. “Ukraine better come to the table, fast,” the US president told reporters onboard Air Force One while en route to Washington. Trump is pushing to end the conflict, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but two previous rounds of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi did not yield any signs of a breakthrough. Moscow has stuck to its demands in the talks for sweeping territorial and political concessions from Ukraine – rejected by Kyiv as tantamount to capitulation. Trump’s top envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner will be in the US delegation, while the former Russian culture minister Vladimir Medinsky will lead Moscow’s team.

Source: The Guardian February 17, 2026 03:49 UTC