Russia and Ukraine resume US- brokered Geneva peace talks as territorial disputes threaten prospects for breakthrough agreement.
Representatives of Russia and Ukraine are set to meet in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday for a fresh round of US-mediated peace talks, with the Kremlin indicating that territorial issues — the central sticking point in the nearly four-year war — will dominate discussions.
The talks, taking place in the Swiss lakeside city of Geneva, come amid renewed pressure from Donald Trump on both sides to reach a deal to end Europe’s biggest conflict since 1945. However, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has complained that Kyiv is bearing the brunt of that pressure.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump made clear where he believes urgency lies.
“Well, we have big talks. It’s going to be very easy. I mean, look, so far, Ukraine better come to the table fast. That’s all I’m telling you.”
Russia is demanding that Ukraine cede the remaining 20 per cent of the eastern Donetsk region that Moscow has failed to capture — a condition Kyiv has firmly rejected.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Geneva round would broaden the scope of negotiations.
“This time, the idea is to discuss a broader range of issues, including, in fact, the main ones. The main issues concern both the territories and everything else related to the demands we have put forward,” Peskov told reporters on Monday.
The venue shift to Geneva follows two previous rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi, which both sides described as constructive but failed to produce a major breakthrough.
The renewed diplomatic push comes just days before the fourth anniversary, on February 24, of Russia’s full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour. Tens of thousands have been killed, millions displaced, and vast swathes of Ukrainian cities, towns and villages reduced to rubble.
Russia currently occupies about 20 per cent of Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized prior to the 2022 invasion. Recent Russian air strikes targeting energy infrastructure have left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without heating and electricity during a harsh winter.
The Kremlin said its delegation would be led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin. However, Ukrainian negotiators have previously accused Medinsky of lecturing them on historical narratives to justify the invasion — a factor that has lowered expectations for any meaningful breakthrough.
Russia’s military intelligence chief, Igor Kostyukov, will also participate, while Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev will join a separate working group on economic matters.
On the Ukrainian side, Zelenskiy, speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference on Saturday, expressed cautious hope about the Geneva talks.
“I hope the Geneva talks will prove serious, substantive… but honestly sometimes it feels like the sides are talking about completely different things.”
Kyiv’s delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, alongside Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov. Senior presidential aide Serhiy Kyslytsya will also attend.
Before departing for Geneva, Umerov reaffirmed Ukraine’s position.
“Our goal of a sustainable and lasting peace remains unchanged.”
Beyond territorial disputes, both sides remain deeply divided over control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the potential role of Western troops in any post-war security arrangement.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to represent the Trump administration at the talks, according to a source familiar with the preparations, underscoring Washington’s central role in the latest diplomatic effort to end the war.
