The third round of trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US will continue in Geneva on Wednesday, as the first session on Tuesday concluded.
The negotiations that began in the afternoon continued for over four hours, and came just a week before the fourth anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Russian delegation was headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, replacing senior military officials who led previous rounds in Abu Dhabi.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said ahead of the meeting that the talks would address a “wider range of issues,” including the “main issues concerning the territories,” which he described as central to Moscow’s demands.
Ukraine’s delegation was led by Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. “We have a framework for work agreed upon by the President of Ukraine (Volodymyr Zelenskyy) and a clear mandate. Security and humanitarian issues are on the agenda,” Umerov had said on Telegram.
“We are working constructively, focused and without unnecessary expectations. Our task is to maximally advance those solutions that can bring sustainable peace closer.”
Security advisers from four European countries, the UK, France, Germany and Italy, are also said to have attended the talks.
Ukrainian officials were expected to push for an energy ceasefire and to clarify how a monitoring mechanism would function if a truce were reached.
Zelenskyy warned ahead of the meeting that Russia may be preparing another “massive strike,” arguing military pressure has not eased even as negotiations resume.
Providing an update on the talks, Umerov on Tuesday evening said after the joint session the delegations split up and continued working in groups on specific issues, with discussions focused on practical problems and the mechanics of possible solutions.
“As of today, both the political and military blocs have completed their work. We thank our American partners for their constructive cooperation and willingness to work at a working pace,” he said.
Umerov noted that the results of the first day of negotiations in Geneva will be reported to Zelenskyy today, and tomorrow morning the political and military groups will continue their work.
Meanwhile, Russian media, citing sources in the Russian delegation, described the negotiations as “very tense.”
They also claimed that besides the talks with Ukraine, Russian-US contacts also took place.
