Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks in Geneva End Abruptly as Zelenskiy Accuses Russia of Stalling
Peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Geneva concluded abruptly on Wednesday after only two hours, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accusing Russia of deliberately delaying progress toward a resolution to the four-year conflict.
The U.S.-mediated talks in Switzerland took place amid comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who in recent days suggested that Ukraine must take steps to ensure the negotiations succeed. Zelenskiy, however, stressed on X that the discussions had been “difficult” and that Russia was intentionally dragging out talks that could already be at a final stage.
Minutes after Zelenskiy’s statement, Russian state news agency RIA confirmed that the Geneva talks had ended. Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told reporters that further negotiations would be held soon, without specifying a date. Ukrainian officials confirmed the talks lasted approximately two hours.
In a Tuesday interview with U.S. outlet Axios, Zelenskiy criticized Trump for publicly urging Ukraine, rather than Russia, to make concessions, calling it “not fair.” He also made clear that any plan requiring Ukraine to cede territory in the eastern Donbas that Russia had not captured would be rejected by a national referendum.
The Geneva talks followed two prior U.S.-brokered rounds in Abu Dhabi, which ended without breakthroughs as both sides remained deeply divided over key issues, particularly territorial control in eastern Ukraine.
A Ukrainian source described Tuesday’s Geneva discussions as focused on “practical issues and the mechanics of possible decisions,” though details were scarce. Russian media reported the talks had been “very tense,” with bilateral and trilateral meetings lasting six hours.
The stalled negotiations affected financial markets, with Ukrainian government bonds dropping as much as 1.9 cents on the dollar in European morning trade.
The Geneva meeting comes just days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and left much of the country devastated. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians.
Ukrainian officials tempered expectations ahead of the Geneva talks, emphasizing that progress would be difficult and that the delegation was proceeding “without excessive expectations.”
The stalled discussions underscore the deep divisions that continue to impede efforts to find a lasting resolution to the war.
