The latest peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia came to an abrupt halt after just two hours, without any significant progress. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of intentionally prolonging the US-facilitated discussions.
Describing the Geneva talks as “challenging,” Zelensky suggested that the swift conclusion on Tuesday was a strategic move by Russia to prolong hostilities as the conflict nears its fourth anniversary.
He expressed his frustration on X, stating, “It appears Russia is deliberately stalling negotiations that could have been nearing completion.”
Despite increasing pressure from President Trump to reach an agreement, the discussions wrapped up without a resolution or any plans for subsequent meetings.
“At this point, we cannot claim that the results from Geneva meet our expectations,” Zelensky commented, hinting at the possibility of resuming talks later this month.
The negotiations remain deadlocked over Russia’s insistence that Ukraine relinquish control over the strategically important Donetsk fortress belt, an area that has effectively resisted Russian advances for years.
Zelensky has said the Ukrainian people, who would have to vote on any major land concessions, would not allow him to give up such critical territory to Russia.
Both sides have also failed to agree upon the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, which is currently controlled by Russia.
Moscow has demanded full control of the plant, rejecting a Ukrainian proposition for Washington and Kyiv to take over operations.
Trump has said that it’s up to Ukraine to secure a deal quickly, drawing criticism from Zelensky who claimed it was “not fair” for the US to demand Kyiv to make absolute concessions while demanding little of Russia, which started the war.
“Emotionally, people will never forgive this. Never. They will not forgive … me, they will not forgive [the US],” Zelensky said if he were forced to give up Donetsk.
Along with the high-stakes talks in Geneva, Ukrainian officials also met with US military chiefs on Wednesday to discuss US-backed security guarantees to prevent another Russian invasion.
US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and Brigadier General Michael Adamski took part in the negotiations.
With Post wires
