Ukraine Heads to Geneva as Russia Claims 200 sq km of Gains
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- Ukraine's delegation, led by Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov, departed for Geneva for the third round of US-brokered trilateral negotiations with Russia, following two prior rounds held in the UAE in January and early February.
- President Zelenskyy said Sunday he hoped Geneva would be "serious, substantive," but complained the US "too often" pushes Ukraine rather than Russia for concessions, adding that "sometimes it feels like the sides are talking about completely different things."
- Russia is demanding Ukraine withdraw from the Donbas region — including heavily fortified cities atop vast natural resources — and wants international recognition of unilaterally annexed eastern territories, while Kyiv insists on freezing the conflict along current front lines and securing binding security guarantees.
- Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on energy infrastructure in western Russia on Sunday; Bryansk governor Alexander Bogomaz said Russian forces destroyed more than 220 drones over 12-plus hours — the heaviest strikes since the war began — temporarily cutting heating to residents.
- Russian army chief General Valery Gerasimov announced Sunday that Russian forces seized 12 settlements totaling roughly 200 sq km in eastern Ukraine this month, stating "the offensive is under way in all directions."
- Al Jazeera's Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from Moscow, said the Russian public does not take the next round seriously because the first two rounds "did not answer a lot of questions" about territorial issues and ceasefire implementation.
Why it matters: Zelenskyy's complaint that Washington presses Ukraine — not Russia — for concessions exposes the asymmetry of the US-brokered process, while on the ground Russia seized roughly 200 sq km this month and both sides are now flying hundreds of drones deep into each other's territory. The combination suggests neither combatant expects a breakthrough, even as territorial and civilian costs continue to mount.
