Ukrainian and Russian negotiators wrapped up the first of two days of US-mediated peace talks in Geneva on Monday (February 17), as fighting continued on the ground and expectations for a breakthrough remained low.

The negotiations, hosted in Switzerland, come as US President Donald Trump presses both sides to reach a deal to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump urged Kyiv to accelerate efforts toward an agreement, saying, “Ukraine better come to the table fast.”

Hours before the talks began, Russia launched overnight airstrikes across large parts of Ukraine, severely damaging energy infrastructure in the southern port city of Odesa. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks left tens of thousands without heat and water in the middle of winter.

“We are ready to move quickly towards a worthy agreement to end the war,” Zelensky said in his nightly address, adding that he was awaiting a full report from Kyiv’s delegation in Geneva. “The question for the Russians is: Just what does they want?”

Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said discussions on the first day focused on “practical issues and the mechanics of possible decisions,” without elaborating. Talks are set to resume on Feb 18.

The Geneva meeting follows two earlier rounds of US-brokered negotiations in Abu Dhabi that failed to yield significant progress, with both sides divided over territorial control in eastern Ukraine. Russia is demanding that Ukraine cede the remaining parts of the Donetsk region that Moscow has not fully captured, a condition Kyiv has repeatedly rejected.

According to Reuters, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner represented the Trump administration at the Geneva talks, juggling parallel diplomatic efforts that also included indirect discussions with Iranian officials earlier in the day.

The Kremlin said its delegation was led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin. Medinsky previously headed Russian delegations in earlier rounds of negotiations and has drawn criticism from Ukrainian officials over his hardline positions. Military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov was also expected to participate, while Putin’s economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev was due to join a separate working group.

Diplomats from several European countries were present in Geneva but did not directly participate in the trilateral talks. They are expected to be briefed by US and Ukrainian officials following the sessions. Moscow has previously objected to direct European involvement in negotiations.

As the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches on Feb 24, the war continues to exact a heavy toll. Tens of thousands have been killed, millions displaced, and vast swathes of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure devastated. Russia currently controls roughly 20 per cent of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized prior to the 2022 invasion.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Feb 14, Zelensky said he hoped the Geneva discussions would be “serious and substantive,” though he cautioned that at times it seemed the two sides were “talking about completely different things.”

With hostilities ongoing and positions entrenched, diplomats say any meaningful breakthrough remains uncertain as negotiations enter their final day.

BOB Post