War

One thousand four hundred fifty-fourth day. The Kremlin: at the negotiations in Abu Dhabi they discussed only security issues, in Geneva we will discuss territories

Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. We publish your letters every day because we are sure that we need to continue talking about the war. Share with us your thoughts about the war. What feelings are you experiencing? How does war affect your life and your attitude towards the world? If you have a story related to the war, tell it . The feedback form is at the end of this article. A review of the previous day can be read here .

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At the upcoming negotiations in Geneva (scheduled for February 17-18), the range of topics discussed will be wider than in Abu Dhabi, said Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.

According to Peskov, “the main issues that relate to territories and everything else” will be discussed in Geneva. That is why, the Kremlin representative explained, the composition of the Russian delegation will be expanded, and presidential assistant Vladimir Medinsky will return to it.

Peskov also said that Medinsky remained the main negotiator on the Russian side all this time - and he explained his absence in Abu Dhabi by the fact that they allegedly discussed only security issues directly related to the military.

Let's remember Putin's statement, which he has made repeatedly, that the head of the Russian negotiators delegation is Medinsky. Putin made this statement before the first round in Abu Dhabi, during it, and so on. Medinsky remained the head of the delegation of our negotiators.

Peskov said that the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation, Kirill Dmitriev, will also fly to Geneva, but will primarily discuss issues of economic cooperation with the United States there.

Peskov first announced that the Russian delegation in Geneva would be headed by Medinsky on February 13. Medinsky’s return caused criticism in Kyiv: Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky doubted that Moscow was striving for peace, since, in his opinion, “this historian” would not have led the delegation otherwise.

In Ukraine and the United States, they previously spoke positively about the fact that Medinsky was not in Abu Dhabi. Unnamed officials noted that the Russian military was ready to do the actual technical work, while the presidential aide at the spring 2025 negotiations "gave long lectures on the root causes of the conflict."

There will be no significant changes in the composition of the Ukrainian delegation at the negotiations in Geneva - it will, as before, be headed by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov. Other participants included the head of the presidential office Kirill Budanov, the chairman of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction David Arakhamia, and the chief of the General Staff Andrei Gnatov.

As follows from earlier comments from the United States and Ukraine, the territorial issue was also discussed in Abu Dhabi. The parties have previously repeatedly called it “the most difficult.” According to sources, Russia demands Ukraine to withdraw troops from the entire territory of the Donetsk region. The Atlantic wrote on February 12 that the Ukrainian authorities are considering the possibility of making such a concession.

War in photographs. Sumy

On February 13, Russian drones attacked the building of a children's hospital in Sumy. As a result, no one was injured; children and staff were in cover during the strike. The photo shows the replacement of broken windows in the building.

War through the eyes of Meduza readers

How we choose letters

Meduza's readers live in different countries and have different attitudes towards the war. We publish your letters to see this event through your eyes. Our editors try to present all points of view, even if they do not coincide with the editorial position. However, in accordance with the Meduza code, we do not publish messages that contain “hate speech,” justify the murder of civilians, or express direct support for an aggressive war.

Vladimir (Siberia) . In general, I try not to lose hope: wars are not endless, Putin is not getting any younger. Everything around, naturally, is under the influence of propaganda, so we have to not lose our composure and not blurt out that Russia is an aggressor, Putin has destroyed the future of two states, and soon we will all be dealing with the economic and social consequences of the war. It frays your nerves and makes you tired. Therefore, I try to find solace in my work and family.

The war with Ukraine in general taught me that the world is unfair and people can be crazy. I try not to talk about collective responsibility and guilt. I was not at the meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation in February 2022, I had no influence on the beginning and course of the war. Belarus and Iran have shown that protests of any scale are easily suppressed. I decided for myself that I would preserve humanity, I would not multiply evil, and I would wait for the opportunity when it would really be possible to change power.

Regarding Ukraine, I am confident that the country will retain its sovereignty and recover. And someday, if the need arises, dialogue between our countries will be possible.

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