The second day of Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Geneva wrapped up Wednesday after less than two hours, with Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky describing the session as “tough but businesslike.” He said a new round of discussions will take place in the near future.
Like the first day, the meeting was held behind closed doors, as negotiators sought to make progress on ending the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, struck a more cautiously optimistic tone, insisting there had been progress in the US-mediated discussions.
“The talks were intensive and substantive,” Umerov told reporters in a brief statement after the meeting wrapped up in Geneva.
“Both political and military tracks were engaged; security parameters and mechanisms for implementing possible decisions were discussed.”
Umerov said some issues had been clarified, while others would require further coordination. “We are focused on working through the key provisions required to finalize the process. This is complex work that requires alignment among all parties and sufficient time,” he said, adding: “There is progress, but no details can be disclosed at this stage.”
A Russian source, speaking anonymously to RBC-Russia, described Tuesday’s session as “very tense,” with discussions taking place in both bilateral and trilateral formats.
Sources familiar with the talks told Axios that while the military group continued to make some headway, the political group faced obstacles and struggled to reach agreement.
One person close to the talks said of the Russians in comments to The Washington Post: “Russia may want peace, but only on its own terms.”
The Geneva talks come as the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, with fighting ongoing on multiple fronts and numerous negotiation sessions struggling to bring any results.
As the talks concluded, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his team remains focused on achieving concrete results:
“We are working together with the team to bring real peace closer. The priority is security guarantees for Ukraine. Ukrainian representatives have clear directives on every aspect of the negotiations. I expect a detailed report following all meetings,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Tuesday that Washington-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia had produced “meaningful progress,” following a third round of trilateral discussions hosted in Switzerland.
“At President Donald Trump’s direction, the United States moderated a third set of trilateral discussions with Ukraine and Russia,” Witkoff wrote on X, thanking Switzerland for being “gracious hosts for today’s meetings.”
The main obstacle remains a dramatic disagreement over territorial issues, with both sides firmly holding their positions.
Russia currently occupies about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, and is demanding full control of Donetsk as part of any agreement – including territory they have not been able to conquer in nearly 12 years of war – a condition Kyiv has rejected without firm Western security guarantees.
Despite Russia’s slow territorial advances, its wartime economy is under strain, with growth stalling and oil revenues falling to a five-year low.