Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy criticises US pressure for concessions as a second day of US-mediated peace talks with Russia begins in Geneva.
GENEVA: Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia were due to begin a second day of talks in Geneva on Wednesday. The discussions are being mediated by the United States.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the United States was putting undue pressure on him to end the four-year-old war. In an interview with Axios, Zelenskiy said it was “not fair” that US President Donald Trump kept publicly calling on Ukraine, not Russia, to make concessions.
Zelenskiy said any plan requiring Ukraine to give up territory beyond what Russia had captured in the eastern Donbas region would be rejected by Ukrainians. “I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision,” Zelenskiy was quoted as saying.
He thanked Trump for his peacemaking efforts but said his conversations with top US negotiators did not involve the same kind of pressure. Trump told reporters on Monday that “Ukraine better come to the table fast.”
Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov said Tuesday’s talks had focused on “practical issues and the mechanics of possible decisions”. Russian news agencies quoted a source as saying the talks were “very tense” and lasted six hours.
Before the talks began, Umerov played down hopes for a significant step forward. In his nightly address, Zelenskiy said he was waiting for a report from the negotiating team. “We are ready to move quickly toward a worthy agreement to end the war,” Zelenskiy said.
The Geneva meeting follows two rounds of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi that concluded without a major breakthrough. US envoy Steve Witkoff said Trump’s efforts to get Russia and Ukraine talking were yielding fruit.
“President Trump’s success in bringing both sides of this war together has brought about meaningful progress,” he said on X. “Both parties agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working towards a deal.”