GENEVA, Feb 18 (GeokHub) — Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia concluded on Wednesday after only two hours, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy describing the discussions as “difficult” and accusing Moscow of deliberately slowing progress toward a resolution to the four-year conflict.
The two-day, U.S.-mediated talks in Switzerland took place amid comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who in recent days suggested that it was Ukraine’s responsibility to ensure the negotiations succeed.
“We can see that progress has been made, but for now, positions differ because the negotiations were difficult,” Zelenskiy said in a WhatsApp message after the session.
Rustem Umerov, head of Kyiv’s negotiating team, described the second day as “intensive and substantive,” adding that both sides were working toward recommendations to be sent to their presidents.
Russia’s chief negotiator, former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky, said further talks would be held soon, though no specific date was announced.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Moscow of negotiating in bad faith while simultaneously carrying out a winter bombing campaign targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and pressing its battlefield offensive.
U.S. Pressure and Zelenskiy’s Response
Ahead of the talks, Zelenskiy criticized Trump for publicly urging Ukraine to make concessions while leaving Russia unchallenged. “It is not fair,” Zelenskiy told Axios. He also warned that any proposal requiring Ukraine to cede territory outside Russian-held areas in Donbas would be rejected by referendum.
Push for Greater European Involvement
Kyiv is pressing for stronger engagement from European allies in the peace process. Zelenskiy emphasized that European participation, including from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, is “indispensable” to advancing negotiations.
Background and Market Reaction
The talks occurred just days ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and left numerous cities devastated.
Russian news sources described the first day of discussions as “very tense,” lasting six hours in various bilateral and trilateral formats. Ukrainian government bonds fell up to 1.9 cents on the dollar in European trading on reports of stalled progress.
Previous U.S.-brokered rounds in Abu Dhabi ended without major breakthroughs, with both sides remaining deeply divided on territorial control in eastern Ukraine. Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and portions of the eastern Donbas region. Recent Russian airstrikes have left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without heating and power during the winter.
