Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff (R) leaves the Four Seasons Hotel de Bergues in Geneva, Switzerland, February 26, 2026 (Martial Trezzini/Keystone)

EA-War and Politics 24: Talking with Ukraine on 4th Anniversary of Russia’s Invasion

Thursday’s Coverage: Russia’s Missile and Drone Strikes Just Before US-Ukraine Talks

UPDATE 0623 GMT:

The International Monetary Fund has approved an $8.1 billion loan to Ukraine, with more lenient terms than initially planned.

Ukraine will receive tranches of funding through 2029, with an immediate disbursement of $1.5 billion.

The IMF and Ukraine agreed in November that Kyiv adopt or table legislation on a series of taxes to unlock the program. But amid the energy crisis caused by Russian strikes, the Zelensky Government obtained IMF agreement to postpone the requirements ot later in 2026.

Hungary is blocking the European Union’s €90 billion ($106 billion) loan for military and financial support to Ukraine through 2027.

Ukraine Prime Minister Yulia Syvrydenko posted:

UPDATE 0615 GMT:

Ukraine has struck a thermal power station in the Belgorod region in western Russia and an oil depot in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region.

Residents said Ukraine’s HIMARS rockets hit Belgorod, leaving almost 60,000 residents without power. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed a “massive missile attack” on the city and surrounding region:

Serious damage has been caused to energy infrastructure facilities. As a result, there have been power outages, water supply disruptions, and heating failures.

Video and photos showed the burning oil depot in Luhansk. Residents reported the fire erupted after a series of explosions.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine’s top officials and Donald Trump’s envoys met in Geneva on Thursday to discuss a possible trilateral meeting to end Russia’s 4-year full-scale invasion — but there is no sign that the Kremlin will cooperate.

Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Committee, sat down with real estate developer Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner “to synchronize positions ahead of this stage“.

The next round is being prepared. We are working on finalizing security parameters, economic decisions, and agreed positions that should form the basis for further agreements. The task is to make the next trilateral meeting involving the US and Russia as substantive as possible..

The two sides also discussed prisoner of war exchanges and an $800 billion “prosperity package” for Ukraine’s recovery.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone with Witkoff and Kushner. Looking for the trilateral meeting in early March, he said, “We need to finalize everything achieved so far for real security guarantees and prepare a meeting at the leaders’ level. This is the format that can resolve many issues.”

The Kremlin has not commented about the next trilateral encounter. It has rejected a leaders’ summit except to “finalize agreements”, in essence saying the occasion would be for Ukraine’s capitulation to Russian demands.

Meanwhile, Russia has continued its massive missile and drone trying to break Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and civilian resistance. On Thursday, the Russians fired 39 missiles and 420 UAVs, focusing on Kyiv, the second city Kharkiv, and other urban areas.

The Americans issued no comment after Thursday’s meeting.