Russian aggression

Vladimir Putin used Russia’s Defender of the Fatherland Day on 23 February to call for further military expansion and to urge national unity around the war, in remarks that provided no indication of a shift towards ending hostilities, as US-mediated negotiations in Geneva remained deadlocked.

In a video address marking the holiday, Putin said Russia would continue strengthening its armed forces across all services, with a focus on modernisation and new weapons. He described the development of Russia’s “nuclear triad” as an “unconditional priority”, presenting strategic forces as central to national security and the global balance of power.

The Kremlin leader also used the address to reinforce a domestic mobilisation narrative, praising Russian soldiers and officers as “the pillar and support of the state and society” and portraying military service as a defining civic virtue. Russian state media carried the remarks as part of broad holiday coverage.

A second theme was internal cohesion. Putin declared 2026 the “year of unity of the peoples of Russia” around what he called a “sacred duty”, adding that his language sought to bind Russia’s multi-ethnic federation more closely to the war effort.

Putin’s message came as Ukraine and Russia completed the latest round of US-mediated talks in Geneva, held on 17–18 February. The meetings, led on the US side by envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner, followed two earlier rounds in Abu Dhabi and were framed by Washington as an attempt to secure a deal to end the four-year conflict.

Reuters reported that the Geneva talks focused on territory, with Russia demanding that Ukraine cede the remaining 20% of the Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control — a condition Kyiv has rejected. In parallel with the diplomacy, Russia carried out overnight strikes across Ukraine, including attacks that killed two people and severely damaged infrastructure in Odesa.

President Donald Trump publicly pressed Ukraine to move faster towards an agreement as the Geneva round began. Asked what he expected from the talks, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: “Ukraine better come to the table fast.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready to move quickly towards an agreement but questioned Moscow’s objectives. “The question for the Russians is: Just what do they want?” Reuters quoted him as saying in his nightly address as the negotiations got under way.

After two days, both delegations described the Geneva discussions as difficult, and there was no announced breakthrough. Zelenskyy said he was dissatisfied with the outcome, arguing that sensitive political issues and possible compromises had not been sufficiently addressed. The White House, however, said there had been “meaningful progress” and that the parties had pledged to continue work towards a peace deal.

Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, described the talks as “difficult but business-like” and said another round would be held soon, according to Reuters. No date was provided by either side, but Zelenskyy said holding another round later this month would be appropriate.

The gap between Washington’s push for momentum and Moscow’s public posture was sharpened by Putin’s holiday address. While US officials spoke of progress and further meetings, Putin presented expanded military capacity as a continuing national task, highlighting strategic weapons development and calling for unity around the war rather than signalling any preparedness to narrow Russia’s demands.

In a separate Reuters report last week, heads of several European intelligence agencies expressed scepticism that Moscow was seeking a swift end to the conflict, describing the negotiating process as “theatre” and arguing that Russia’s strategic aims had not changed. The Reuters report said the officials saw Russia using talks to pursue sanctions relief and business deals alongside the war track.