Negotiators from Moscow and Kyiv are meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday in Switzerland following two earlier rounds of discussions held in Abu Dhabi. While both sides previously described those talks as constructive, they failed to produce concrete results, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
According to the Kremlin, land remains the main sticking point in negotiations. Russia is demanding that Ukraine give up control of the remaining part of the eastern Donetsk region that Russian forces have not captured. Ukraine has repeatedly rejected this demand.
RECOMMENDED STORIES
The talks are taking place under growing diplomatic pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been pushing both sides to reach a settlement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Kyiv is facing intense pressure to make concessions.
The Geneva meeting comes just days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, millions of displaced people, and widespread destruction of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea and parts of the Donbas region that were seized before the 2022 invasion. Recent strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have left many residents without heating and electricity during winter.
The Russian delegation is being led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, while military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov is also expected to participate. Kirill Dmitriev, a special envoy of President Vladimir Putin, is expected to take part in separate discussions focused on economic issues.
Ukraine’s delegation is being led by Rustem Umerov, secretary of the country’s National Security and Defence Council. Other senior officials attending include presidential chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov and senior aide Serhiy Kyslytsya.
Zelenskiy said he hopes the talks will be “serious and substantive,” though he warned that the two sides often appear to be discussing completely different visions for ending the war.
Beyond territory, major disagreements remain over control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the potential role of Western troops in Ukraine after any future peace agreement.
U.S. envoys are also participating in the talks as Washington continues efforts to broker a deal to end Europe’s largest conflict since World War II. Observers say the Geneva negotiations are likely to be complex and could set the tone for future diplomatic efforts.
