Zelenskyy, NATO's Rutte discuss preparations for trilateral format

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had spoken with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss recent contacts with the United States and preparations for a trilateral format aimed at advancing efforts to end the war.

In a post on X following the talks on February 27, Zelenskyy said he had briefed Rutte on meetings between Ukrainian and American officials and outlined Kyiv’s diplomatic preparations, Caliber.Az reports.

I spoke with @SecGenNATO Mark Rutte.

I briefed him on our team’s meetings with the American side and our preparations for a trilateral format. It is important that we are sincerely committed to ending this war, and we are doing everything to achieve that. And in many respects,…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 27, 2026

The Ukrainian president noted the importance of “sincerely” committing to ending this war, noting that in “many respects, it depends specifically on the U.S. whether Russia will be ready to end the war.”

“Real peace and security are needed. Thank you, Mark, for your support. We will continue to coordinate our efforts,” the post reads. 

Another round of negotiations on Ukraine concluded in Geneva on February 27. The discussions were conducted in two formats: separate bilateral meetings with representatives of the United States and a trilateral session involving US and Swiss officials.

The meeting followed the latest round of negotiations among Ukraine, Russia, and the US held in Geneva on February 17–18, which concluded without a breakthrough on territorial disputes or a ceasefire agreement.

By Sabina Mammadli