3rd round of US-brokered Russia-Ukraine talks conclude in Geneva

• Ukraine's chief negotiator writes negotiations were 'intensive, substantive,' says some issues clarified while others require 'additional coordination'

GENEVA

The third round of trilateral peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, brokered by the US, concluded in Geneva on Wednesday after nearly two hours.

The negotiations, mediated by US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, come a week before the fourth anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war amid continuing attacks.

The Russian delegation is headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, replacing senior military officials who led previous rounds in Abu Dhabi, while Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov led Kyiv's delegation.

Speaking to Russian journalists following the meeting, Medinsky described the talks as "difficult, but businesslike," further saying the discussions lasted about two hours and that the "next meeting will take place soon."

Russian media later reported that Medinsky held another two-hour closed door meeting at the venue of the talks before departing for the airport. He later confirmed that the talks were with the Ukrainian side.

For his part, Umerov, who is also Ukraine's chief negotiator, said the work undertaken during the talks was "intensive and substantive."

"We thank our American partners for ensuring that the process continues and moves forward. We are grateful to the Swiss side for their hospitality and for providing the platform," Umerov wrote on the US social media company Facebook.

He stated that both political and military tracks were engaged within the Ukrainian delegation and that they discussed "security parameters and mechanisms for implementing possible decisions."

"Some issues were clarified, while others require additional coordination," Umerov said, noting that they are focused on working through the key provisions necessary to finalize the process.

"This is complex work that requires agreement by all parties and time. There is progress, but no details at this stage," he went on to say, adding, "The next step is to reach the necessary level of alignment to submit the developed decisions for consideration by the presidents. Our task is to prepare a real, not a formal, foundation for this."

In remarks to journalists after a briefing with the Ukrainian delegation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there is progress on military issues, namely monitoring a possible ceasefire, but that the positions of both parties on political matters remain different.

The talks in Geneva follow two earlier rounds of negotiations in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, which took place on Jan. 23-24 and Feb. 4-5. The latter resulted in the first prisoner swap between Moscow and Kyiv since October last year.