The two-day talks in Switzerland were mediated by the United States and brought together delegations from Kyiv, Moscow and Washington.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the latest round was “difficult” and accused Moscow of intentionally slowing progress toward an agreement to end the war.
“We can see that progress has been made, but for now, positions differ because the negotiations were difficult,” Zelensky told reporters in a WhatsApp chat shortly after the talks concluded.
Separately, Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s negotiating team, said the second day had been “intensive and substantive,” adding that both sides were working toward decisions that could be sent to their presidents.
Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, described the discussions as difficult but businesslike and said the talks would resume soon, without giving a date. He said the first day lasted many hours in different formats, while the second day ran about two hours.
Earlier Wednesday, Zelensky accused Russia of “trying to drag out negotiations that could already have reached the final stage.” Ukrainian officials have repeatedly charged that Moscow is negotiating in bad faith.
The talks came as U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to move quickly, suggesting in recent days that success depended on Kyiv and Zelensky. Trump told reporters Monday that “Ukraine better come to the table fast. That’s all I’m telling you.”
In an interview with Axios published Tuesday, Zelensky was quoted as saying it was “not fair” for Trump to publicly press Ukraine, not Russia, to make concessions. “I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision,” he was quoted as saying.
The Geneva talks took place just days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion. Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea and parts of the Donbas. A central dispute remains control of eastern regions, with Russia demanding Ukrainian forces withdraw from areas in the east—something Kyiv rejects.
Russian news agencies, citing a source, described Tuesday’s talks as “very tense” and said they lasted about six hours in various bilateral and trilateral formats. Ukrainian government bonds fell as much as 1.9 cents on the dollar in morning trade in Europe amid reports of stalled progress.
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Source: Polish Radio, Reuters