Russian and Ukrainian delegations will meet in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday for a new round of US-mediated talks aimed at ending their nearly four-year war.
The talks take place as US President Donald Trump presses both sides to reach a ceasefire soon. However, a major breakthrough remains unlikely given Moscow’s insistence on sweeping territorial and political demands.
Geneva Talks
After two rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi with no major breakthrough, Geneva is hosting this round, few days ahead of the war’s fourth anniversary, which has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions from their homes, and destroyed cities and towns.
The Russian negotiating team is led by Vladimir Medinsky, an advisor to President Vladimir Putin, alongside the head of Russian military intelligence, Igor Kostyukov. Moreover, Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev takes part in a separate working group on economic issues.
The Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov leads the Ukrainian delegation, which also includes Zelenskiy’s chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov and senior presidential aide Serhiy Kyslytsya.
Meanwhile, the US team is led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to Reuters.
Territorial Demands
While the previous rounds in the UAE addressed ceasefire proposals, the Geneva talks will cover a wide range of topics, focusing on land – a main sticking issue in the Russia-Ukraine negotiations.
“This time, the idea is to discuss a broader range of issues, including, in fact, the main ones. The main issues concern both the territories and everything else related to the demands we have put forward,” the Kremlin Spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Monday.
Russia wants Ukraine to cede the remaining 20% of the eastern region of Donetsk that Moscow has failed to capture – a demand that Kyiv firmly rejects.
Notably, Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s national territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized before the 2022 invasion.
Beyond territorial disputes, Moscow and Kyiv remain deeply divided over the administration of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and the potential deployment of Western peacekeeping forces in postwar Ukraine.
Low Expectations
The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that his country will not give up territory, indicating differences between the two sides over a number of issues, including postwar security guarantees.
Zelensky said that the Trump administration proposed security guarantees for 15 years, but Ukraine needs guarantees lasting 30 to 50 years, according to the Guardian.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference 2026 on Saturday, Zelensky expressed hope that the Geneva talks will be “serious, substantive.” However, he pointed to differences in viewpoints. “But honestly sometimes it feels like the sides are talking about completely different things,” he added.
Similarly, the Ukrainian delegation’s head, Umerov, stressed that Kyiv’s goal of “a sustainable and lasting peace” remained unchanged.
US Pressure
Trump has been pushing both sides to end Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. On Monday, the US President renewed pressure on Kyiv, saying “Ukraine better come to the table, fast,” without elaborating.
On the other hand, Zelensky, who complains that Ukraine is facing the greatest pressure to make concessions, urged for more US pressure on Russia to halt attacks and take peace efforts more seriously.
“Only with sufficient pressure on Russia and clear security guarantees for Ukraine can this war realistically be brought to an end,” he posted on X on Monday.
Last week, Trump gave both Russia and Ukraine until the end of June to reach a deal that brings this war to an end.
“The Americans are proposing the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer and will probably put pressure on the parties precisely according to this schedule. And they say that they want to do everything by June,” Zelensky said at the time.
