Kremlin officials and media outlets affiliated with the Putin regime confirmed Russia's unwillingness to compromise after the trilateral talks began in Geneva on February 17.
Russia wants direct talks only with the US on the fate of Ukraine.
The delegations of the US, Ukraine and Russia began trilateral talks in Geneva on February 17 and will continue on February 18.
This was commented on by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
A source told the Kremlin news agency TASS that the talks will cover at least five topics - territorial, military, political, economic and security-related issues.
ISW will continue to monitor reports on the trilateral talks in the coming days.
Deputies of the Russian State Duma and senators of the Federation Council, whose target audience is the Russian population and who often act as mouthpieces for the Kremlin's real diplomatic and military goals, continue to push the Kremlin's standard rhetorical lines about Russia's initial military demands, which go beyond the territory in eastern Ukraine.
The chairman of the Duma's Defense Committee, Andrei Kartapolov, said that Ukraine would be able to "win" only when it joins the Russian Federation, confirming Russia's long-term goal of destroying an independent Ukraine.
The deputy chairman of the State Duma's Defense Committee, Yuri Shvitkin, said that Russia's military achievements and technological superiority create a "favorable environment" for a future diplomatic settlement, supporting the Kremlin's false thesis that Ukraine and the West should submit to Russia's demands now at the negotiating table for fear of future Russian actions on the battlefield.
The deputies and senators continued to argue that Russia should negotiate only with the United States and that Moscow and the Whites together should act in the "spirit of Anchorage".
This is a key thesis of the Putin regime, showing that an alleged agreement was reached during the Alaska summit in August 2025 to end the war based on Russian President Vladimir Putin's public demands for Ukraine and NATO to surrender.
The Russian ultranationalist television network "Tsargrad" published a commentary by a Russian journalist claiming that Russia is trying to use the ongoing negotiations to "create the impression" that Russia is serious about resolving the most complex issues in the war.
The journalist claims that Russia will only be able to achieve peace on its own terms when the Ukrainian fronts collapse, which the article says is "still far off."
The journalist claims that the Russian delegation should not give Ukraine and the West any reason to blame Russia for the lack of progress in the negotiations. The Kremlin-linked Russian oligarch and Orthodox nationalist Konstantin Malofeev founded "Tsargrad", which has an informational role in preparing the Russian nationalist community to support the Kremlin's military efforts.
Malofeev often addresses Russian nationalists to convince them that Russia has no choice but to fight Ukraine and NATO.
The article in "Tsargrad" is likely intended to convince Russian ultranationalists - a key part of Putin's voters - that Russia has no intention of abandoning its original military goals or making compromises to end the war.
ISW continues to believe that the Kremlin has not prepared Russian society for the idea of possible Russian concessions and compromises to end the war.
Russian forces carried out another massive combined attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure on the night of February 16-17 - on the eve of trilateral talks between the United States, Ukraine and Russia in Geneva.
In recent months, Russian forces have carried out massive attacks in the days before and after bilateral and trilateral talks, but are likely refraining from fully utilizing Russian strike capabilities so as not to anger US President Donald Trump.
Russian strikes against Ukraine are dangerous, regardless of their scale.
The Russian presidential aide and former Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev used escalating language to try to force the West to stop seizing tankers from Russia's "shadow fleet".
Patrushev baselessly criticized Finland for preparing to attack Russia.
Russian forces recently advanced near Borova, in the Kostyantinovka-Druzhkovka tactical zone, and near Pokrovsk.