KYIV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian delegation led by National Security and Defense Council chief Rustem Umerov departed for Geneva on Monday, seeking a path toward de-escalation in a conflict nearing its fourth anniversary. The trip precedes a new round of U.S.-brokered talks with Russian officials, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, as both sides maintain firm positions despite a stated American goal of reaching a settlement by June.
The Geneva discussions will address “a broader range of issues related to the territories and other issues connected to the demands that we have,” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He offered no specifics on those demands, but the future of Ukrainian land currently occupied or claimed by Russia remains a central obstacle to any agreement.
Fighting continues along the 1,250-kilometer (750-mile) front line, with Ukrainian forces engaged in a war of attrition against Russia’s larger military. Ukraine has increasingly employed drone strikes targeting oil refineries and arms depots within Russian territory, while simultaneously defending against repeated Russian aerial attacks that have crippled power infrastructure and damaged civilian homes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed cautious hope for the Geneva talks, but also voiced frustration with the U.S. Approach to negotiations, stating on Saturday that Ukraine was being asked “too often” to craft concessions. Zelenskyy, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, acknowledged that the positions of both sides often appear fundamentally divergent. “Sometimes it feels like the sides are talking about completely different things,” he said.
Leading the Russian delegation will be Vladimir Medinsky, an advisor to President Vladimir Putin who previously headed Moscow’s negotiating team during initial peace talks held in Istanbul in March 2022. He will be joined by Igor Kostyukov, head of Russian military intelligence and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, along with other officials, Peskov confirmed.
The composition of the U.S. Delegation to Geneva remains unclear. Previous rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi, in January and early February, were represented by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, according to reports. Those earlier discussions, described by both Moscow and Kyiv as “constructive,” failed to yield any significant breakthroughs.
Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, posted a photograph on Telegram showing himself with other members of the Ukrainian negotiating team boarding a train for Geneva. Travel to and from Ukraine remains challenging, requiring lengthy overland routes due to the closure of the country’s airspace.
Western officials and analysts suggest that Putin believes time favors Russia, anticipating a potential decline in Western support for Ukraine and an eventual weakening of Ukrainian resistance. The U.S. Administration, under President Donald Trump, has been actively seeking a deal to end Europe’s largest conflict since 1945, but faces significant hurdles in bridging the gap between the two sides’ positions.
