As fighting continues in a war that will enter its fifth year next week, the latest round of US-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended in Geneva on Wednesday without major progress.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said at talks in Switzerland that no agreement was reached on vexing questions, accusing Moscow of “trying to drag out” the process.
Speaking to reporters after the talks, he said, “We can see that some groundwork has been done, but the positions are different at the moment.
Zelenskyy said the status of Russian-occupied territories in eastern Ukraine and the future of the Moscow-controlled Zaporizhia nuclear power plant were among the most contentious unresolved issues.
He described the military channel as “constructive”, saying talks were held along military and political lines, including how any potential ceasefire would be implemented. “The army will understand how to monitor the ceasefire and the end of the war if there is political will,” he said.
A second day of talks ended after just two hours, marking little progress and underscoring how distant a deal still seems, despite Donald Trump’s promises to end the war on his first day in office.
Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, described the Geneva talks as “difficult but businesslike” as he left the talks, with further rounds planned. Medinsky, known for his ultra-conservative stance and widely unpopular in Ukraine, said new talks would follow soon.
Talks over the fate of Ukrainian-held territory in the east are always likely to stall, with Moscow demanding a full divestment as a precondition for ending the fighting. Kyiv rejected those terms, although Zelensky said he was willing to consider alternative arrangements, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from eastern parts and the creation of a demilitarized zone.
Speaking to Axios on Tuesday, Zelensky insisted that the Ukrainian people would reject a peace deal that would require Kyiv to unilaterally withdraw from Donbass. “Emotionally, people will never forgive this. Never. They won’t forgive … me, they won’t [the US],” he said.
Another unresolved issue is security guarantees, with Zelensky repeatedly stressing that any territorial compromise will come only after Ukraine receives firm commitments from its Western allies, including Washington.
But the Trump administration, eager for an international policy victory to bolster the president’s standing at home, is pushing Kyiv to agree to territorial concessions first, and only then offer security guarantees.
Zelenskyy highlighted the time difference earlier this week, writing in X: “Our American friends, they are preparing security guarantees. But they said – first the exchange of these territories, or something like that, then security guarantees. I think – first, security guarantees. Second, we will not give up our territories because we are ready to compromise.”
European leaders say Vladimir Putin is unlikely to make meaningful compromises unless the situation deteriorates on the battlefield or at home.
Ukraine may take some encouragement from recent Western intelligence assessments that Russia is having increasing difficulty recruiting troops for the war. Kremlin forces have made limited territorial gains this year, but Ukrainian forces have mounted several localized counterattacks in the southern Zaporizhia region. Moscow’s economy has also slowed to almost zero growth, although officials and analysts say the pressure at this stage is not enough to change the Kremlin’s behavior.
Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya said: “As long as Putin is in power, Russia is not paralyzed by widespread protests and there is at least some money left in the budget for weapons, the war will continue.”
