Ukrainian and Russian negotiators resumed a second round of peace talks in Geneva on Wednesday, February 18th with Washington signalling cautious optimism over progress in ending the war in Ukraine.
The talks are the latest diplomatic bid to halt the conflict, now in its fourth year.
The latest talks follow two previous rounds in Abu Dhabi that failed to produce a breakthrough. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, representing Washington in Geneva, described the discussions as making “meaningful progress,” adding that both parties had agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working toward a deal.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky expressed readiness to move swiftly toward a “worthy agreement” but questioned Russia’s commitment to genuine diplomacy, asking
What do they want?
He accused Moscow of prioritising missile strikes over negotiations.
For these Geneva talks, Russia reinstated former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky as its lead negotiator, while Ukrainian national security secretary Rustem Umerov headed Kyiv’s delegation.
The first round of Geneva negotiations lasted six hours and was described as “very tense” by a source close to the Russian delegation.
