The United States has said that “meaningful progress” was achieved in ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine, as negotiations entered their second day in Geneva, Switzerland, as reported by BBC News.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that bringing both sides together marked an important step toward ending the war. Writing on X, he praised the leadership of US President Donald Trump, stating that his diplomatic efforts had helped initiate negotiations aimed at stopping the bloodshed.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back against what he described as unfair pressure on Ukraine to compromise. Speaking to Axios, Zelensky said it was “not fair” that President Trump kept urging Ukraine to broker a deal, warning that “peace would not be achieved if victory is handed to Russia,” as reported.
Russia Maintains Its Position
Russia currently controls around 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including large parts of the eastern Donbas region. Moscow is demanding that Ukraine hand over the remaining parts of the region, a condition Kyiv has firmly rejected.
On the Russian side, the negotiations are being led by Vladimir Medinsky, a senior aide to President Vladimir Putin. Russian state media indicated that the first day of talks lasted six hours and involved both bilateral and trilateral formats, describing the discussions as tense.
Ukraine has insisted that strong Western security guarantees, particularly from the United States, must be secured before any final settlement with Russia can be agreed.
Fighting Continues Amid Diplomacy
Despite the diplomatic engagement, fighting continues on the ground. Russia’s defence ministry said it shot down 43 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions and Crimea. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 126 attack drones, claiming that 100 were intercepted before reaching their targets, as reported.
The latest round of talks comes just a week before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Analysis
While Washington describes the discussions as yielding “meaningful progress,” major disagreements remain. Russia has not softened its territorial demands, and Ukraine continues to defend its sovereignty and independence.
Whether the Geneva talks will produce a breakthrough remains uncertain, but the continuation of negotiations suggests that diplomatic channels are still open.
