Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to optimize the Russian negotiation delegation to be as effective as possible with the specific individuals the United States selects for its negotiation delegation, likely with the aim of extracting maximum concessions from the United States.
This was commented on by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Walz reiterated on February 18 that US President Donald Trump's position that the war in Ukraine must end in a way that is "fair, lasting, sustainable, and acceptable to all parties involved" remains unchanged.
Another source close to the Kremlin told "Medusa" that Putin may appoint his aide Vladimir Medinsky in the Russian delegation if Ukrainian representatives join future negotiations, as Medinsky participated in the Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul in the spring of 2022.
The source claims that the Kremlin does not need to include Medinsky in the Russian delegation as long as the negotiations remain bilateral between the United States and Russia.
On February 19, the "Moscow Times" reported, citing a diplomatic source familiar with the Russian-American meeting on February 18, that the Kremlin is seeking to restore access to the Russian Central Bank's frozen reserves in the United States, worth about $6 billion.
The Kremlin appears to be trying to get the United States to accept economic and diplomatic terms unrelated to the war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for concessions from Ukraine and the West that are related to the war.
The United States' acceptance of these economic and diplomatic terms - without demanding Russian concessions on Ukraine in return - would result in a loss of leverage that the United States would need to achieve US President Donald Trump's stated goal of achieving a lasting and sustainable peace that benefits both the United States and Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated on February 19 that Ukraine needs either NATO membership or a strong army and security guarantees to achieve a sustainable peace.
US Special Representative for Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg arrived in Kyiv on February 19 for his first official visit to Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces continue to carry out drone strikes on Russian energy facilities supplying the Russian military.
Ukrainian forces have recently advanced near Vovchansk and Toretsk, while Russian forces have recently advanced near Borova, Siversk, Pokrovsk, Kurakhovo, and Velika Novosilka.
Russian federal subjects are reportedly halting the recruitment of non-Russian-speaking foreigners to serve in the Russian military.