The Situation Room - February 18th

Good morning everyone,

I’m Atlas, and welcome to The Situation Room! We cover the most high impact geopolitical developments every Wednesday!

Today’s topics:

• Zelensky: Undue Pressure Is Coming From Trump On Concessions

• U.S. Alleges Secret Nuclear Testing Done By China

• Peruvian Congress Ousts President Over Corruption Scandal

Zelensky: Undue Pressure Is Coming From Trump On Concessions

_{By: Atlas}

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the United States of placing disproportionate pressure on Kyiv rather than Moscow in peace negotiations, saying in an interview published Tuesday that it was "not fair" for President Donald Trump to keep publicly demanding concessions from Ukraine while making no equivalent demands of Russia.

The remarks, made during a 37-minute phone call with Axios as Russian, Ukrainian, and American negotiators sat down for a third round of talks in Geneva, represent the most direct public pushback Zelensky has delivered against Trump's handling of the diplomatic process.

"I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision," Zelensky said of Trump's repeated public statements singling out Ukraine. He suggested it might simply be easier for the American president to lean on a smaller country than to confront Russia — but warned that the path to a durable peace is not "to give victory" to Vladimir Putin.

The interview landed hours after Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: "Ukraine better come to the table fast. That's all I'm telling you." It was the second time in recent days Trump had placed the onus squarely on Zelensky and Ukraine to advance the negotiations.

The territorial sticking point

The central dispute in the talks remains control of the Donbas, the collective name for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces currently hold roughly 88% of the territory but have demanded that Ukraine cede the entirety of it — including the remaining portions that Moscow has been unable to capture on the battlefield.

American mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have proposed that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the parts of the Donbas they still control and allow the area to become a demilitarized "free economic zone." Washington has not taken a formal position on which country would hold sovereignty over the zone.

Zelensky told Axios he is prepared to discuss a troop withdrawal, but only if Moscow pulls its forces back an equivalent distance. He has rejected Russia's claim to sovereignty over the territory outright.

He was blunt about what he believes the Ukrainian public would accept if any agreement were put to a referendum — something Washington and Kyiv have agreed would be required.

"Emotionally, people will never forgive this. Never. They will not forgive... me, they will not forgive the United States," Zelensky said of any deal that simply hands the Donbas to Russia. Ukrainians "can't understand why" they would be asked to surrender additional land to the country that invaded them.

"This is part of our country, all these citizens, the flag, the land," he said.

But Zelensky indicated that a freeze along the current front lines — without formally ceding sovereignty — could gain public support. "I think that if we will put in the document... that we stay where we stay on the contact line, I think that people will support this in a referendum. That is my opinion."

A poll conducted last month by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 52% of Ukrainians oppose surrendering the Donbas in exchange for American and European security guarantees. Forty percent said they would agree.

What happened inside the Geneva talks

The Tuesday session in Geneva ran approximately six hours across multiple bilateral and trilateral formats. Russian news agencies quoted a source describing the talks as "very tense." Both sides agreed to continue discussions on Wednesday.

Ukraine's lead negotiator, former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, said the day's talks focused on "practical issues and the mechanics of possible decisions" but did not provide details. Russian officials made no public comment.

The Russian delegation arrived with a new lead negotiator — Vladimir Medinsky, a nationalist Putin adviser and former culture minister who previously participated in early-war talks in Istanbul. Zelensky expressed concern that Medinsky's appointment could signal an attempt by Moscow to reset the process or stall for time.

"We don't have time for all this shit," Zelensky told Axios. "So we have to decide, and have to finish the war."

Sources familiar with the talks said the military working group made more progress than the political track, where negotiations were described as "stuck" — due in large part to positions presented by Medinsky. The Russians also reportedly complained about Zelensky's recent public statements, claiming the Ukrainian president was not seriously negotiating but rather trying to boost his domestic popularity ahead of possible elections.

Witkoff and Kushner represented the Trump administration. In a notable scheduling feat, both men attended indirect negotiations with Iranian officials in Geneva earlier in the day before crossing the city to mediate the Russia-Ukraine session.

European delegations were present in Geneva at Zelensky's request but did not participate directly in the trilateral talks. They were briefed by American and Ukrainian officials afterward. Russia has opposed European involvement in the process.

The battlefield picture

The diplomatic track is running alongside continued fighting. Russia launched 29 missiles and 396 drones overnight ahead of the Geneva session, severely damaging the power network in the southern port city of Odesa and leaving tens of thousands without heat and water.

Zelensky cited the strikes as evidence of Moscow's posture toward diplomacy. "Even on the eve of the trilateral meetings in Geneva, the Russian army has no orders other than to continue striking Ukraine," he wrote on social media. "This speaks volumes about how Russia regards the partners' diplomatic efforts."

At the same time, Ukrainian forces have recorded their fastest territorial gains in three years. An analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War found that Ukraine recaptured approximately 201 square kilometers — roughly 78 square miles — in the week ending Sunday. Most of the gains were concentrated about 80 kilometers east of Zaporizhzhia, near Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which remains under Russian control and is expected to feature in negotiations.

The think tank suggested the Ukrainian counterattacks may have exploited disruptions in Russian battlefield communications linked to limited access to Starlink satellite systems.

Zelensky's balancing act

Despite his pointed criticism, Zelensky was careful not to break with Trump entirely. He thanked the president again for his peacemaking efforts and drew a distinction between Trump's public rhetoric and the tone of his private interactions with Witkoff and Kushner.

"We respect each other," Zelensky said of the American negotiators. He added that he was "not such a person" who folds easily under pressure.

He also revealed that Witkoff and Kushner had told him Russia genuinely wants to end the war and urged him to coordinate with his negotiating team on that basis. Zelensky said he was far more pessimistic — and advised the American mediators not to try to force him to sell a vision of peace that his own people would view as "an unsuccessful story."

Zelensky reiterated his call for a direct meeting with Putin, saying he had instructed his team to raise the prospect of a future leader-level summit during the Geneva talks. The Kremlin has consistently rejected the idea, saying no such meeting will take place until an acceptable agreement is ready to be signed.

On the question of elections, Zelensky told Axios that while nothing is settled, it is possible new presidential elections will be held alongside a peace referendum. He said in September that he would step away from politics once the war ended — but suggested Tuesday that if an election takes place during a fragile ceasefire, he may run again. "It will depend on the people. We will see what they want."

Russia, for its part, has agreed only to a one-day ceasefire for Ukraine to organize and hold a national vote — far short of the 60 days Zelensky says are needed. He called the Russian position absurd, and a possible sign that Moscow is not prepared for genuine peace.

Subscribe to The Situation Room to read the rest.