Day 2 of US-Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Geneva conclude, official says
LONDON -- American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators convened again in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday for trilateral peace talks, with the second day of meetings concluding after around two hours.
The delegations met Tuesday for the opening sessions of the third round of U.S.-brokered trilateral talks, the first two rounds of which were held in the United Arab Emirates starting in late January.
In a post to X, President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said both Ukraine and Russia had agreed to keep working towards a peace deal following Tuesday's meetings.
"President Trump's success in bringing both sides of this war together has brought about meaningful progress, and we are proud to work under his leadership to stop the killing in this terrible conflict," Witkoff wrote.
"Both parties agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working towards a deal," he added.
The Russian delegation to Geneva was led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin known for his ultraconservative and nationalistic messaging.
"The negotiations were difficult, but businesslike," Medinsky said after the conclusion of Tuesday's talks. Medinsky also said that a new round of negotiations are expected to be held soon.
Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council and the leader of Kyiv's delegation, said in a post to Telegram before Wednesday's meetings that the Ukrainian team was "focused on substantive work."
Umerov also said Tuesday that the Ukrainian team held talks with European representatives from France, the U.K., Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that the first reports he had received from Kyiv's delegation showed that the "military" aspect of the talks had been "constructive."
"There are two tracks: military and political. Here I want to say that all three sides were constructive on the military track -- in my view, based on the briefing I have just received," Zelenskyy said.
"The military basically understand how to monitor a ceasefire and the end of the war, if there is political will. They have basically agreed on pretty much everything there," the Ukrainian president added.
Before that, Zelenskyy had described the first day of talks on Tuesday as "difficult meetings" in another social media post.
"Russia is trying to drag out the negotiations, which could have already reached the final stage," he wrote. "Thank you to the American side for their attention to details and patience in talks with the present representatives of Russia."
Zelenskyy posted to social media on Tuesday after the first round of meetings, saying, "Ukraine is ready. We do not need war. And we always act symmetrically -- we are defending our state and our independence."
"Likewise, we are ready to move quickly toward a just agreement to end the war. The only question is for the Russians: what do they want?" Zelenskyy added.
The Ukrainian president again urged foreign partners to increase pressure and costs on Russia over Moscow's continued long-range strike campaign against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.
The attacks have focused on energy targets throughout the war's fourth winter, plunging millions of Ukrainians into periodic darkness amid bitterly cold weather.
"The team absolutely must raise the issue of these strikes -- first of all with the American side, which proposed that both us and Russia refrain from attacks," Zelenskyy said.
"'Shaheds,' missiles and fantasy chatter about history matter more to them than real diplomacy, diplomacy and lasting peace," Zelenskyy said of Moscow.
Russian officials have said little about the latest round of talks. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, "There are no plans to make any announcements on this matter. Everything will be closed to the press."
In an interview with Sputnik Radio published on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said of the talks, "Any step that could lead to, or lead down a path that leads to, a resolution to the situation is of great importance," as quoted by the state-run Tass news agency.
Zakharova again accused Ukraine's European partners of trying to sabotage the peace negotiations and pressuring Kyiv to continue the war, echoing a long-held Russian disinformation narrative.
Ukraine and Russia continued their nightly drone and missile exchanges despite the ongoing talks in Geneva.
Ukraine's air force said in a post to Telegram on Wednesday morning that Russia launched one missile and 126 drones into the country overnight, of which 100 drones were shot down or suppressed. The missile and 23 attack drones impacted across 14 locations, the air force said.
Ukraine's State Emergency Service (SES) said in posts to Telegram that six people were injured and one person killed in a Russian strike on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday evening. The SES also reported an overnight attack in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down at least 43 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Russia's federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsiya, said in posts to Telegram that temporary flight restrictions were introduced at airports in Volgograd, Saratov, Cheboksary, Kazan and Kaluga.
ABC News' Shannon Kingston, Ellie Kaufman, Will Gretsky, Joseph Simonetti, Somayeh Malekian, Anna Sergeeva, Tanya Stukalova, Fidel Pavlenko and Natalya Kushnir contributed to this report.
