Trump, Zelenskyy Speak By Phone Ahead Of Geneva Talks As Pressure Mounts For Tougher Line On Russia

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke by phone on February 25, a high-stakes conversation confirmed by both the White House and Kyiv as diplomatic efforts intensify ahead of renewed negotiations in Geneva.

The call serves as a precursor to a pivotal February 26 meeting in Switzerland, where Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov is slated to meet with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner.

The talks in Geneva are expected to center on a “prosperity package” designed for Ukraine’s economic recovery, while laying the groundwork for a potential trilateral summit with Russia as early as March, according to both Ukrainian and US officials.

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In a social media post following the call, Zelenskyy noted that Trump’s envoys participated in the discussion, which focused heavily on the agenda for the upcoming rounds of diplomacy.

“We expect this meeting to create an opportunity to move talks to the leaders’ level,” Zelenskyy wrote, adding that Trump “supports this sequence of steps.” He characterized a direct leaders' summit as “the only way to resolve all the complex and sensitive issues and finally end the war.”

Territory And Political Will

The diplomatic maneuvering comes amid a sobering assessment from Kyiv regarding the fundamental gaps between the warring parties.

Speaking earlier in the day alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Zelenskyy identified "political will" and "territorial integrity" as the primary friction points.

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"The problem is with the political will to stop this war and the question of territories," Zelenskyy said. While acknowledging the Trump administration’s desire for a swift conclusion to the conflict, he expressed skepticism that lower-level working groups could resolve the most contentious issues.

"I’m not sure that we will have tomorrow exactly [a] result… on the territories," he said, reflecting his stance that such breakthroughs "must go to the level of leaders."

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While Kyiv has signaled a pragmatic willingness to consider a cessation of hostilities along current lines of control, officials emphasize that any cease-fire must be bolstered by "ironclad" security guarantees from Washington and European allies.

Moscow, however, continues to demand that Ukraine relinquish additional territory in the eastern Donetsk region -- a demand Kyiv has flatly rejected.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently cast doubt on the utility of a Putin-Zelenskyy summit, questioning whether Ukraine’s current negotiating position offers a viable "path forward."

The Language Of 'Pressure'

Against this backdrop of stalled diplomacy, Ukrainian officials and activists are warning that talk alone will not move the needle in the Kremlin.

In Washington, Ukrainian Ambassador Olha Stefanishyna told reporters on February 24 that diplomacy must be backed by "hard power."

"The language which is understood by Russians is not the dialogue or diplomatic effort -- it’s the pressure," Stefanishyna said, arguing that sanctions and battlefield resistance are the only effective tools to influence Moscow’s calculus.

That sentiment was echoed on the streets of the US capital over the weekend. Several hundred demonstrators gathered at the Lincoln Memorial before marching to the Russian ambassador's residence. The rally, organized by US Ukrainian Activists (USUA), served as a reminder of the domestic pressure on the White House to secure a "just peace."

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"The Ukrainian diaspora continues to send a clear message to the US administration: Ukraine needs a just and lasting peace with strong security guarantees," said Nadiya Shaporynska, the group’s president.

Speaking to RFE/RL on February 24, she cautioned against a return to the "failed model" of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which saw Ukraine trade its nuclear arsenal for security assurances that were ultimately ignored by Moscow.

Republicans Renew Call For Tomahawks

The demand for increased pressure is also gaining traction on Capitol Hill, where influential Republican lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to expand military support as a means of gaining leverage at the bargaining table.

On February 24, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called for the provision of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. Graham argued that the ability to strike drone and missile factories deep inside Russian territory is essential, asserting that "at this point, Putin is not serious about ending the war."

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This sentiment was mirrored on the Senate floor by Republican Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas, who described Russia’s invasion as a "strategic failure" defined by massive casualties. Moran joined the call for Tomahawks and tightened sanctions, insisting that Moscow must not be allowed to claim victory "either on the battlefield or at the negotiating table."

Representative Don Bacon (Republican-Nebraska), speaking at the American Foreign Policy Council on February 25, framed the support as a matter of global precedent.

He argued that providing long-range precision weapons and "crushing" sanctions is necessary to demonstrate that the United States will not tolerate the "violent conquest of territory."

Breakthrough Elusive

Despite multiple meetings between Ukrainian, Russian, and US officials this year, a definitive breakthrough remains elusive.

While senior US officials have privately signaled their desire to maintain diplomatic momentum, the gap between Kyiv’s demand for security and Moscow’s demand for land remains vast.

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Zelenskyy has expressed a readiness to meet Putin on neutral ground, but the success of such an encounter likely hinges on the outcome of the Geneva talks and the proposed trilateral round in March.

As the war enters its fifth year, the dual tracks of diplomacy and high-intensity combat continue to run in parallel.

Whether the combined weight of international pressure and renewed negotiations can finally shift the trajectory of the conflict remains the defining question of the current diplomatic push.