- Web Desk
- 40 Minutes ago
Third round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks begins in Geneva
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- Web Desk
- 4 Minutes ago
WEB DESK: Ukrainian and Russian negotiators were set to resume a second day of US-mediated peace talks in Geneva on Wednesday, as Washington’s special envoy voiced cautious optimism about efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since the Second World War.
According to AFP, the discussions represent the latest diplomatic attempt to halt nearly four years of fighting following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 a war that has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions and devastated large areas of eastern and southern Ukraine.
The United States, under President Donald Trump, has intensified efforts to broker a settlement. However, earlier rounds of negotiations in Abu Dhabi failed to produce a breakthrough, with Moscow and Kyiv remaining divided over territorial questions.
US envoy Steve Witkoff, representing President Trump at the talks, struck a cautiously positive tone. In a post on X, he said: “President Trump’s success in bringing both sides of this war together has brought about meaningful progress.” He added that both delegations had agreed to brief their respective leaders and continue working towards an agreement, without elaborating further.
A source close to the Russian side told AFP that the initial session lasted six hours and was “very tense”.
In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready to pursue “a worthy agreement to end the war” swiftly, but questioned Moscow’s sincerity. “What do they want?” he asked, accusing Russia of preferring missile strikes to serious diplomacy.
Prospects for breakthrough slim
For the Geneva negotiations, the Kremlin has reappointed Vladimir Medinsky, a nationalist hardliner and former culture minister, as its chief negotiator.
Heading the Ukrainian delegation is national security secretary Rustem Umerov, who confirmed that talks would continue on Wednesday. He thanked Washington for its mediation efforts and said he had updated European partners including France, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Switzerland on the outcome of the opening session.
Umerov said the first round focused on “practical issues and the mechanics of possible solutions”, and that he had also met US and European representatives separately to coordinate next steps.
President Zelenskyy has repeatedly argued that Ukraine is being pressed to make disproportionate concessions. On Monday, President Trump urged Kyiv to “come to the table, fast”.
In an interview with Axios on Tuesday, Zelenskyy described the approach as “not fair”, saying peace could not come at the cost of handing victory to Russia. “I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision,” he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had earlier cautioned journalists against expecting major announcements from the first day of talks.
Strikes overshadow diplomacy
Even before negotiations resumed, tensions escalated on the battlefield. Ukraine accused Russia of undermining diplomacy with a large-scale overnight assault on Tuesday involving 29 missiles and 396 drones. Ukrainian officials said the strikes killed four people and left tens of thousands without electricity in southern regions.
Later, Ukraine’s general staff reported that Russia had launched 28 missiles and 109 guided aerial bombs since the start of the day.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga remarked on social media: “The extent to which Russia disregards peace efforts: a massive missile and drone strike against Ukraine right before the next round of talks in Geneva.”
Russia, for its part, claimed Ukraine had launched more than 150 drones overnight, largely targeting southern regions and the annexed Crimean peninsula.
Moscow currently controls around one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea annexed in 2014 as well as parts of the eastern Donetsk region.
Russia is demanding full control of Donetsk as part of any settlement and has warned it would seize the territory by force if talks collapse. Kyiv has firmly rejected the demand, saying it will not agree to any deal without robust security guarantees to deter future aggression.
While Russian forces have made incremental gains along the extended front line in recent months, Moscow is facing mounting economic pressures, including slowing growth, a widening budget deficit and sanctions-hit oil revenues that have fallen to a five-year low.
With both sides entrenched in their positions, expectations of a decisive breakthrough in Geneva remain modest, even as diplomatic channels remain open.
