The closed-door talks began at 1:56 PM on February 17, local time, at the InterContinental Geneva Hotel. The Russian delegation was led by Presidential Assistant Vladimir Medinsky.
According to diplomatic sources revealed to TASS, representatives of Italy, Germany, France and the UK are also present in Geneva. National security advisors of these countries are expected to meet separately with the Ukrainian and US delegations on the sidelines of the talks.
Head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation, Mr. Rustem Umerov - head of the Security and Defense Council of Ukraine - said that the discussion during the day focused on "practical issues and mechanisms for feasible decisions", but did not elaborate. He said negotiations would continue on February 18, the last day of the US-mediated peace talks in Geneva.
The Geneva round of negotiations took place after 2 rounds of negotiations mediated by the US in Abu Dhabi. The previous rounds of negotiations ended without major breakthroughs as the two sides still had deep disagreements on key issues such as controlling eastern Ukrainian territory.
Before the latest round of peace talks, Mr. Umerov lowered expectations for a major step forward, saying the Ukrainian delegation worked without "being overly optimistic".
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner representing the administration of President Donald Trump attended the talks.
In a rare effort to simultaneously handle 2 global crises, US special envoys attended indirect negotiations with Iran in the morning in Geneva, then switched to working in Russia-Ukraine talks.
According to many sources familiar with the matter revealed to Reuters, European delegations are present in Geneva but do not directly participate in the trilateral talks. These delegations were invited after Ukrainian President Zelensky asked the US to bring Europe into the process, and will be updated on developments by the US and Ukraine.
The Geneva peace talks took place just days before the 4th anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict breaking out on February 24, 2022. Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean peninsula and part of the Donbass region.
