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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed “important steps” taken during peace talks with the United States in Geneva but warned that the “main issue” remained Vladimir Putin’s demand for legal recognition of Russian-occupied territory in eastern Ukraine.
After U.S. and Ukrainian officials met in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss ending the war with Russia, officials from both sides reported “progress” and intended to continue cooperation.
However, no details have emerged yet on how to bridge the huge differences between Moscow and Kiev over territorial issues and security guarantees for Ukraine.
Zelensky and US President Donald Trump are now thought to be meeting to discuss more contentious issues, but no timetable has been given.
In particular, the issue of territorial integrity is a key point of disagreement between Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky has repeatedly said that Moscow should not be rewarded for its aggressive behavior in the land it has seized by force and that doing so would set a dangerous precedent.
After the Geneva talks, Trump said on social media that “good things may be happening” but came with a warning: “Don’t believe it until you see it.”
Russian representatives did not attend the meeting in Switzerland and the Kremlin said it had not yet received any information on the outcome of the discussions. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Moscow was aware of “adjustments” to the plan that was initially welcomed by Putin.
The 28-point peace proposal was drafted by U.S. and Russian officials in October. Submitted to Ukraine last week. Some of them appeared to fit well with Moscow’s long-standing demands, causing consternation in Kyiv and its European allies.
Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine must accept the deal by Thursday or face severe cuts in U.S. support has created a sense of urgency across Europe and hastily convened talks between Ukrainian and U.S. officials.
As of Sunday evening, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “tremendous” progress had been made in the talks. “I sincerely believe we will get there,” he said.
But some European leaders are more cautious. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: “I’m not sure we are any closer to peace.” While German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said discussions would be a “long, protracted process” and he did not expect any breakthrough this week.
When the United States presented a draft peace plan last week, Europeans appeared to be caught off guard and scrambled for a seat at the negotiating table.
Britain, France and Germany have reportedly drafted a counter-proposal that rules out any recognition of Russian-controlled areas, increases the size of Ukraine’s allowed troops and opens the door for Ukraine to join Nato.
Rubio said he was unaware of the plan, which Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov dismissed on Monday as “totally unconstructive.”
Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has been demanding that Ukraine fully withdraw its troops from the entire eastern Donbas region.
But Kyiv and its European partners are weary of any solution that would jeopardize the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty – Zelensky has repeatedly warned that abandoning Donbass would leave Ukraine vulnerable to Russian attacks in the future.
Another key Russian demand is that Ukraine never become part of NATO. But Kyiv believes that joining NATO, which is enshrined in Ukraine’s constitution, is the only way to protect itself from future attacks.
Despite last week’s frantic diplomacy, the next steps in the process are unclear.
Zelensky is expected to speak to Trump in person soon, before eventually submitting a new draft peace plan to Moscow. The Kremlin said there were no plans for Russian and U.S. negotiators to meet this week.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said there was still much work to be done to achieve a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine. a virtual”coalition of the willing“He added that a meeting will be held on Tuesday to discuss the developments.
