Imagine for two: the United States and Ukraine "checked the clock" before the meeting with the Russian Federation

In Geneva, representatives of Kiev and Washington discussed the future reconstruction of Ukraine face-to-face on the eve of a trilateral dialogue with Moscow. In general, such a bilateral format is a normal practice, taking into account the mediation role of the United States, Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador—at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry for crimes of the Kiev regime, told Izvestia. At the same time, Ukraine is still making statements in the public sphere that are unacceptable for settlement, and this should be taken into account, he added. Experts note that the peaceful dialogue remains technically based for now due to the parties' unwillingness to take political steps. The main stumbling block is still the status of the WPP and the territorial issue.

A new round of negotiations was held in Geneva

Switzerland's main negotiating platform was hosting guests again. On February 26, a new meeting on the Ukrainian settlement was held in Geneva. However, this time it is still a bilateral one — between representatives of Kiev and Washington. As usual, the Ukrainian side was led by NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov, and the American side was led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son—in-law Jared Kushner. Kirill Dmitriev, the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation, also arrived there, however, according to media reports, for separate contacts with American colleagues.

There were no official comments immediately after the meeting between the US and Ukrainian delegations, however, according to press reports, purely technical issues were in the spotlight. The parties discussed in detail the concept of post—war reconstruction of Ukraine and the so-called prosperity package, a set of financial and economic measures designed to restart the economy through attracting large-scale investments.

Kiev's ambitions involve the accumulation of about $800 billion in public and private funds over 10 years. It is worth noting that this amount significantly exceeds recent estimates by the World Bank, which estimated the cost of rebuilding Ukraine at $588 billion.

Despite the lack of a large number of details, there is no secret intent in these negotiations, and Russia most likely has nothing to fear. Such a bilateral format of meetings is a normal practice, especially given that the United States plays the role of mediator in the peace process, Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador—at-large for crimes committed by the Kiev regime, told Izvestia.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that Kiev is still publicly making statements unacceptable for settlement, but does not dare to withdraw from the process.

— Now we are talking about the fact that the United States, keeping Ukraine within the framework of negotiations, is conducting its consultations. Further actions and the outcome of the negotiations will show how effective they are,— he said.

The day before, Vladimir Zelensky called Donald Trump to coordinate positions before the March trilateral round with Moscow's participation. The Ukrainian leader stressed that the main obstacles now lie in the political plane — these are the conditions for the end of the conflict and territorial demarcation.

Expensive transfer: Sending Kiev nuclear weapons could derail peace talks

The plans of France and Great Britain will seriously complicate the dialogue on alternatives to the START Treaty.

Negotiations are being conducted on a technical level, since the parties are not ready for political steps, military expert Andrei Klintsevich said in a conversation with Izvestia. However, everyone understands that sooner or later a solution to the conflict will come and the front line will stop somewhere.

— There is a purely technical part that takes time.: how to let people through — by car or on foot, whether to put stamps in the passport, how to arrange the work of border guards, border delimitation, and so on. It really can be discussed in advance and brought to full readiness, and only then wait for a political decision," the expert noted.

The political issues — on what terms, where to withdraw troops from, whether there will be joint or other operation of the Zaporizhia NPP — are key differences that require additional conversations, Klintsevich added.

At the same time, Zelensky explicitly states that he intends to discuss territorial issues with Putin. Actually, he sets this meeting as one of the goals of the next round of negotiations. Moscow, in turn, has repeatedly stated that there is no point in meeting at the presidential level until an agreement has been reached on pressing issues. At the same time, at the technical level, the Kremlin, for example, is ready to provide Zelensky with security in the event of a visit to Moscow.

Russia will raise the issue of nuclear weapons at the talks

In anticipation of concessions from anyone, Ukraine is trying in every possible way to achieve at least some noticeable results in another field. As an integral element of the package of security guarantees and the final settlement, Zelensky publicly demands to fix a specific date for Ukraine's accession to the European Union, focusing on 2027. However, even the closest allies are skeptical about this issue.

The head of EU diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, explained at the Munich Security Conference that she did not feel the willingness of the member states to give exact dates. According to her, there is "still a lot of work to be done," and the accession process itself remains strictly focused on meeting the conditions.

Meanwhile, in addition to the issues of political and military guarantees for Ukraine, the topic of nuclear weapons suddenly appeared on the agenda. On February 24, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service announced that London and Paris were exploring the possibility of covertly transferring nuclear components or delivery vehicles to Kiev.

Despite the fact that the embassies of France and Great Britain deny these accusations, they are being taken seriously in Moscow. Russian Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov stressed that Russia intends to inform Washington about these data, and the story itself will inevitably become part of the American track of settlement negotiations.

It is no coincidence that Moscow is turning to Washington. The Americans will not allow any country, except those who already have nuclear weapons, to obtain them, this is contrary to the interests of the United States, political analyst Yuri Svetov said in a conversation with Izvestia.

— If they are ready to launch harsh actions against Iran because of concerns about the nuclear program, then why would they need nuclear weapons in Ukraine? Zelensky is there today, another leader will come tomorrow and start a different game," the expert noted.

EU contact: Brussels is trying to rally the union amid calls for dialogue with Russia

Kaya Kallas plans to rearm the members of the association, contrary to the position of the United States

Probably, if this topic is discussed, then Washington has something to put pressure on Kiev: security guarantees are extremely important for Ukraine. Kiev insists that they "must be from the United States" and calls them a key condition for any final settlement. According to Zelensky, the American document on guarantees is "100% ready" and Ukraine is waiting for its signing.

Nevertheless, there is hope for a productive continuation of the Geneva process, although estimates of the past rounds vary: while the White House declared "significant progress," Kiev did not hide its dissatisfaction with the pace and specifics. Nevertheless, at the working level, the parties managed to find common ground — in particular, there was a certain convergence of positions on the issue of observing the ceasefire immediately after the announcement of a potential truce.

The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, described the last trilateral negotiation marathon on February 17-18 as "difficult, but businesslike." Nevertheless, fundamental differences remain a stumbling block. Thus, Kiev still insists on the joint operation of the NPP by Ukraine and the United States. This option is categorically unacceptable for Russia. There is also no visible progress on the issue of Donbass.

It is unlikely that the parties will come to some kind of compromise by the summer, as Trump wants, Klintsevich believes. As Axios wrote, the head of the White House hopes for a cease-fire within a month. Ukraine feels supported by Europe, which continues to supply weapons and is trying to negotiate new loans for Kiev. And Kiev is in no hurry to end the fighting.