Ukraine-Russia talks in Geneva wrap up in 2 hours with no sign of breakthrough

Ukrainian and Russian negotiators concluded a second day of US-mediated talks in Geneva on Wednesday, though neither side signalled they were any closer to ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. The talks wrapped up after just two hours, much shorter than the six hours of meetings on Tuesday, according to the head of Russia’s delegation. Neither side elaborated on what they discussed or whether they had agreed on anything, but both signalled the discussions had been tricky. The United States has been pushing for an end to the nearly four-year war, but has so far failed to broker a compromise between Moscow and Kyiv on the key issue of territory. The latest talks on Wednesday were “difficult, but businesslike”, the head of Russia’s delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, told Russian state media. Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov said there had been progress following the conclusion of the meeting. “We are focused on working through the key provisions required to finalise the process. This is complex work that requires alignment among all parties and sufficient time. There is progress but no details can be disclosed at this stage,” he told reporters. Ukraine and Russia did not find agreement on central issues, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday. “We can see that some groundwork has been done, but for now the positions differ, because the negotiations were not easy,” Zelensky said in a message to journalists after the talks had finished. He said the fate of occupied territory in Ukraine’s east and the future status of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, captured by Russian forces, were the unresolved “sensitive issues” in the talks. Earlier, Zelensky accused Russia of delaying tactics. “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,” Zelensky said on social media as the second round began. He said Europe’s participation at talks with US and Russian delegations was vital for any agreements reached on halting the war to hold. “We consider Europe’s participation in the process indispensable for the successful implementation of entirely feasible agreements.” Zelensky also confirmed, following earlier reports, that Ukrainian and US negotiators had met officials from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland on Tuesday . Diplomatic efforts to end the war have for months been deadlocked over the key issue of territory. Russia is pushing for full control of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region as part of any deal, and has threatened to take it by force if Kyiv does not cave at the negotiating table. But Ukraine has rejected this demand, which is politically and militarily fraught, and signalled it will not sign a deal without security guarantees that deter Russia from invading again. Tens of thousands dead Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The ensuing conflict has resulted in a tidal wave of destruction that has left entire cities in ruins, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians dead and forced millions of people to flee their homes. Hours before talks began, Russia fired 126 attack drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force. For the Geneva talks, the Kremlin reinstated nationalist hawk and former culture minister Medinsky as its lead negotiator. National security secretary Umerov led Kyiv’s side. US President Donald Trump put pressure on Ukraine on Monday to make a deal, saying they “better come to the table, fast”. But Zelensky told Axios on Tuesday it was “not fair” that Ukraine – and not Russia – was facing more pressure, adding that lasting peace would not be achieved if “victory” was just handed to Moscow. “I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision,” Zelensky said. The Ukrainian leader said late on Tuesday he was ready to move “quickly” towards a deal but questioned whether Russia was serious about peace. Russia occupies around one-fifth of Ukraine – including the Crimean peninsula it seized in 2014 – and areas that Moscow-backed separatists had taken before the 2022 invasion. Ukraine says handing Russia more territory will effectively “reward” Russia for invading and embolden it to attack again. Russian drone and artillery attacks overnight and late on Tuesday wounded at least one person and caused damage to buildings, according to Ukrainian regional authorities. Russia has been slowly seizing territory across the sprawling front line for months, claiming control of villages in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and northern Sumy region on Wednesday. But its wartime economic worries are mounting, with growth stagnating and a ballooning budget deficit as sanction-hit oil revenues drop to a five-year low.

Ukraine-Russia talks in Geneva wrap up in 2 hours with no sign of breakthrough

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Neither side revealed what they discussed or whether any agreement had been reached, but both said the discussions had been ‘difficult’

Neither side revealed what they discussed or whether any agreement had been reached, but both said the discussions had been ‘difficult’