First modification: 02/17/2026 - 13:11 Last modification: 02/18/2026 - 02:11

This Tuesday, February 17, in Geneva, the first phase of trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States took place to explore a possible agreement. , Donald Trump, pressuring kyiv to act quickly to reach an agreement to end a conflict that is about to turn four years old. Contacts are expected to continue on Wednesday.

The essentials:

This minute by minute has been closed. Below is the most relevant information from the day of February 17 related to the war in Ukraine and the talks to end this conflict:

Talks in Geneva on Ukraine were tense and will continue on Wednesday, according to source cited by RIA

The US-brokered negotiations in Geneva between representatives of Russia and Ukraine to reach an agreement on the war took place in a tense atmosphere and will resume on Wednesday, the Russian state agency RIA reported citing a source. According to that version, the talks lasted six hours and were held in different formats, both bilateral and trilateral.

The political phase of the talks in Geneva concludes for today

The political phase of the trilateral peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, mediated by the United States in Geneva, ended this Tuesday, while military representatives of both sides continue meetings, according to a source close to the process. The talks are scheduled to continue on Wednesday in a second day of contacts.

Thousands of Ukrainian children still held captive in Russia, says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claims that 2,000 Ukrainian children have been recovered by kyiv since the start of the war. However, "thousands" more remain captive in Russia and the occupied territories.

“Today we have a significant result: two thousand Ukrainian children who were under Russian control have returned home,” Zelensky said on social media.

“Thousands of Ukrainian children remain captive in Russia and are victims of its crimes every day,” he added.

Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, some 20,000 Ukrainian children have been transferred to Russia, according to the Ukrainian government.

European security advisors are present in the negotiations on Ukraine

An Italian government source announced that security advisors from four European countries: Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy are in Geneva for negotiations that bring together Ukrainian, Russian and American delegations.

"Talks between European national security advisors and the Ukrainian and American delegations are planned throughout the day, outside of the negotiations," he said.

Ukrainian drones hit nine refineries in Russia so far in 2026, according to kyiv commander

Ukrainian drones have hit nine oil refineries on Russian territory since the beginning of 2026, the commander of kyiv's drone forces, Robert Brovdi, reported.

In a message published on Telegram, the military officer pointed out that the refineries are part of a total of 240 facilities in Russia and in occupied areas that have been attacked by Ukrainian forces since the beginning of the year.

Report from kyiv: Russia, Ukraine and the US resume negotiations in Geneva

Negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the United States resume in Geneva to try to end the Russian invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured that his American counterpart is pressing for territorial concessions to Moscow, one of the Kremlin's biggest demands that kyiv has refused to accept. Our special envoy Catalina Gómez Ángel provides us with information from the field.

Swedish military intelligence warns that Russia increases hybrid threats and takes more risks in the region

Russia has intensified its hybrid warfare activities around Sweden and appears willing to take greater risks in the region, Thomas Nilsson, head of the Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service (MUST), told AFP. According to him, Moscow has increased its presence and actions in the vicinity of the Nordic country and will continue to do so, regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine.

In its annual threat report, published on Tuesday, MUST noted that Russia has developed a wide range of tools within hybrid warfare, including disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, economic sanctions, intelligence operations and electoral interference.

One dead in Russia's Kursk region after Ukrainian drone attack

One person was killed in the Russian border region of Kursk in a Ukrainian drone attack, local governor Aleksandr Jinshtéin reported. As explained on Telegram, a civilian vehicle was hit in the village of Kalinovka, resulting in the death of a man.

Another drone attack was recorded in the town of Belitsa, where the driver of a vehicle was unharmed and refused to be hospitalized.

According to Russian authorities, more than 60 civilians were killed and nearly 350 wounded in 2025 in Kursk, the scene of previous Ukrainian incursions.

Russia and Ukraine resume discussions in Geneva on the determining points for a ceasefire

France releases tanker linked to the Russian "ghost fleet" after paying a sanction

This Tuesday, France authorized the departure of the tanker Grinch, identified as part of the network of ships that Russia would use to avoid international sanctions, after the company that owns it paid a fine of several million euros, according to a minister.

The prosecutor's office and local authorities stated that, through a recognition of responsibility procedure, the Marseille judicial court imposed a financial penalty on the company.

The ship had been intercepted in January by French and allied forces between Spain and Morocco, after setting sail from Russia, and was taken to a port near Marseille, in the south of the country. The European Union has identified 598 vessels allegedly linked to the so-called "ghost fleet", which are banned from accessing ports and maritime services within the bloc.

Trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States begin

Trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States began this Tuesday in Geneva, according to the head of the Ukrainian delegation and the Russian state agency RIA Novosti.

The meeting marks a new diplomatic attempt to move towards a possible de-escalation of the conflict, amid persistent fighting on the ground. No details were immediately available on the agenda or duration of the negotiations.

Talks point to "technical details"

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said indirect talks with the United States on sanctions and nuclear issues are getting into "technical details."

"The talks are carried out indirectly. The reason why I mentioned that we have addressed some technical details and minutiae both in the nuclear field and in that of the lifting of sanctions, is partly due to the presence of the Director General of the Agency, who, in any case, the Agency, as the institution in charge of nuclear affairs, plays an important role and can be useful in this process," he assured the press.

Dead after attack on a military facility in the Russian Leningrad region

Two people died after an explosion at a military installation in the city of Sertolovo, in the Russian Leningrad region, the Mash Telegram channel reported, cited by Reuters.

Governor Alexander Drozdenko said the explosion occurred in a military police building. "I have instructed the security forces to help the military clear the rubble and rescue those injured in the collapse of the military police building on the territory of the military unit in Sertolovo," Drozdenko said.

Russian attack in the Odessa region leaves serious damage to the power grid

A Russian attack against the Odessa region in southern Ukraine caused "extremely serious" damage to the electrical infrastructure that supplies the regional capital, the Ukrainian energy company DTEK reported.

The company noted on social media that the repairs will be complex and that it will take a long time to return the equipment to normal operation.

Crossing of drone and missile attacks between Russia and Ukraine ahead of Geneva talks

The Russian Defense Ministry told state media that its air defense systems destroyed 151 aircraft over different Russian regions and over the Black and Azov seas. In Crimea, annexed by Moscow, the governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said that two dozen drones were shot down and that a minor was injured.

At the same time, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 29 missiles and 396 drones between Monday night and early Tuesday morning against critical infrastructure in Ukrainian territory, according to local authorities. The exchanges occurred hours before a new round of negotiations between Russian, Ukrainian and American representatives in Switzerland.

Geneva: new talks between Russians, Ukrainians and Americans

Welcome to the coverage of the most relevant events of the day related to the negotiators that Russia, Ukraine and the United States will begin in a new session in Geneva to try to find a way out of four years of fighting in Ukraine.

The prelude were two recent meetings organized in the United Arab Emirates, which did not lead to decisive progress.

The parties are working on the basis of the US plan presented several months ago. The possibility of territorial concessions by kyiv, in exchange for Western security guarantees, is at the center of the discussions.

The negotiations especially stumble over the future of Donbass, the large industrial basin in eastern Ukraine: Moscow demands that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the areas they still control in the Donetsk region, something that kyiv refuses.

With information from AFP, EFE, Reuters and local media

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