Ukrainian and Russian diplomatic teams will gather in Geneva Tuesday and Wednesday for another round of U.S.-brokered peace discussions. Territory disputes remain the primary obstacle as Russia demands Ukraine surrender parts of eastern Donetsk region.
GENEVA – Ukrainian and Russian diplomatic teams are scheduled to convene in Geneva this Tuesday and Wednesday for another attempt at U.S.-facilitated peace negotiations, with territorial disputes expected to dominate discussions according to Moscow officials.
President Donald Trump continues to urge both Moscow and Kyiv toward a settlement that would end what has become Europe’s largest military conflict since World War II ended in 1945. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed frustration that his nation faces mounting pressure to make compromises.
Moscow’s primary demand centers on Ukraine surrendering the final 20% of Donetsk’s eastern territory that Russian forces have been unable to secure through military action – a concession that Kyiv categorically rejects.
“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,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
The Swiss lakeside location represents a change from Abu Dhabi, which previously hosted two negotiation sessions that both parties characterized as productive despite yielding no major agreements.
These Geneva discussions arrive just before February 24th marks four years since Russia launched its comprehensive assault on its smaller neighbor. The prolonged conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions of civilians, and left numerous Ukrainian communities in ruins.
Russian forces currently control approximately 20% of Ukraine’s sovereign territory, including Crimea and sections of the eastern Donbas area captured prior to the 2022 escalation. Recent Russian bombardments targeting power infrastructure have left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without electricity and heating throughout a brutal winter season.
EXPECTATIONS REMAIN MODEST FOR MEANINGFUL PROGRESS
Moscow announced that Vladimir Medinsky, a senior aide to President Vladimir Putin, will head Russia’s negotiating team.
Ukrainian representatives have previously criticized Medinsky for delivering historical lectures they view as justification for Russia’s invasion, which has further dampened hopes for substantial progress during the Geneva meetings.
Military intelligence director Igor Kostyukov will participate in the discussions, while Putin’s special representative Kirill Dmitriev will join a separate committee addressing economic matters.
During Saturday’s Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy expressed cautious optimism that the Geneva negotiations would prove “serious, substantive… but honestly sometimes it feels like the sides are talking about completely different things.”
Ukraine’s delegation will include Rustem Umerov, who serves as secretary of the national security and defense council, along with Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov. Senior presidential advisor Serhiy Kyslytsya will also attend.
Prior to departing for Geneva, Umerov stated that Ukraine’s objective of “a sustainable and lasting peace” remains firm.
Beyond territorial questions, Russia and Ukraine maintain significant disagreements over control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility and potential Western military presence in post-conflict Ukraine.
According to sources, U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will attend on behalf of the Trump administration. The American envoys are simultaneously participating in separate Geneva discussions involving Iran this week.