Russia says Europe ‘wants to extend’ war

MOSCOW

Ukrainian soldiers of the 48th separate artillery brigade fire at Russian positions on the frontline in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

Europe wants the war in Ukraine to continue for as long as possible and its actions prevent any constructive contribution to a settlement, according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.

"Their current position is for the fighting on Ukrainian territory to continue as long as possible," Grushko told reporters in Moscow Thursday, Russia’s TASS news agency reported.

"At present, no real constructive contribution from the Europeans is visible, because their position makes it impossible," the deputy minister said.

"If we look at the real actions Europeans are taking, they are doing everything contrary to helping restore peace in Ukraine. This includes political, economic, financial, and military support for the Kiev regime. This also includes their position on the conditions for concluding peace," Grushko was quaoted as satying by TASS.

"No one there speaks of the peace formula including reliable security guarantees for Russia. This is a key condition for any solution in Ukraine."

Grushko’s remarks came after the latest U.S.-brokered talks between envoys from Moscow and Kiev over the war ended on Feb. 18 with no sign of a breakthrough and with both sides saying the talks were “difficult,” as the war’s fourth anniversary approaches next week.

The negotiations in Switzerland were the third round of direct talks organized by the U.S., after meetings earlier this year in Abu Dhabi that officials described as constructive but which also made no major headway. Expectations for significant progress in Geneva were low.

“The negotiations were not easy,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the talks broke up and he spoke briefly by phone from Kiev with his negotiating team.

Despite that, some progress was made on military issues although political differences remain deep, including over the future of land in eastern Ukraine that is occupied by the Russian army and that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to keep, Zelensky said.

Meanwhile, Russian officials said Thursday their forces had destroyed 113 Ukrainian drones overnight, some of them having targeted an oil refinery in the northwest that resulted in a fire in a storage tank.

During the night from Feb. 18 to Thursday, Russian forces "intercepted and destroyed 113 Ukrainian drones," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

One of the drone attacks targeted an oil refinery in Velikiye Luki around 500 kilometers west of Moscow, causing "a fire in an oil storage tank," regional governor Mikhail Vedernikov said in a statement.

According to initial reports, the attack did not cause any injuries among civilians or refinery staff, he added.

Ukraine, itself targeted for the past four years by near-daily Russian bombardments, has been carrying out retaliatory strikes on oil refineries and Russian port and energy infrastructure.