The peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Geneva concluded abruptly after two hours of discussion on Wednesday. The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, accused Russia of stalling the peace talks in an effort to delay any prospects of an end to the war that has been ongoing in Ukraine for four years. The talks were mediated by the US in Switzerland but did not yield any significant breakthrough in the negotiations.
Talks end without breakthrough
Following the meeting, Zelenskiy described the discussions as challenging and expressed frustration over what he viewed as deliberate delays, reported Reuters.
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"Yesterday's meetings were indeed difficult, and we can state that Russia is trying to drag out negotiations that could already have reached the final stage," Zelenskiy wrote on X on Wednesday.
Reuters reported that shortly after his statement, Russia's state news agency RIA reported that the talks had concluded. Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told reporters that further negotiations would take place soon, though no date was provided. A Ukrainian official also confirmed that the meeting lasted "around two hours".
Tensions over concessions and territory
The Geneva talks came amid remarks from US President Donald Trump suggesting that Ukraine needed to take more initiative to ensure progress in negotiations. Reuters cited an interview with Axios where Zelenskiy pushed back against this narrative, saying it was "not fair" for Ukraine to be publicly pressured while Russia was not equally urged to make concessions.
Zelenskiy further stated that any peace proposal requiring Ukraine to surrender territory not currently occupied by Russian forces would likely be rejected by Ukrainian citizens if put to a referendum.
"I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision," Axios quoted Zelenskiy as saying.
Trump had earlier told reporters, "Ukraine better come to the table fast. That's all I'm telling you."
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Background and ongoing challenges
The meeting took place just days before the fourth anniversary of Russia's 2022 invasion. The conflict has caused widespread devastation, displacement and significant loss of life. Russia continues to deny deliberately targeting civilians.
Previous US-brokered negotiations in Abu Dhabi also ended without major progress, with both sides remaining divided on key issues such as territorial control. Ahead of the Geneva meeting, Ukrainian delegation head Rustem Umerov had tempered expectations, saying the team was working "without excessive expectation".
