Russian and Ukrainian delegations are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Tuesday for another round of negotiations, part of the latest US-backed effort to end the four-year conflict.
US President Donald Trump has sought to cast himself as a peacemaker in the war triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
However, two previous rounds of talks facilitated by the White House have failed to produce a breakthrough.
“Ukraine better come to the table, fast,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while travelling to Washington.
Kyiv has accused Moscow of refusing to soften its sweeping territorial and political demands and of remaining committed to continuing the war.
“Even on the eve of the trilateral meetings in Geneva, the Russian army has no orders other than to continue striking Ukraine.
This speaks volumes about how Russia regards the partners’ diplomatic efforts,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media Monday.
“Only with sufficient pressure on Russia and clear security guarantees for Ukraine can this war realistically be brought to an end,” he added.
The Kremlin said the Geneva discussions will take place behind closed doors without media access. The meeting follows two earlier rounds of talks held this year in Abu Dhabi.
The conflict has evolved into Europe’s deadliest war since World War II, leaving hundreds of thousands dead, displacing millions of Ukrainians and devastating large parts of the country’s east and south.
Russia controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, as well as areas previously seized by Moscow-backed separatists before the 2022 invasion. Moscow is demanding that Ukrainian forces withdraw from key fortified and strategically important regions as part of any peace settlement.
Kyiv has rejected those demands, describing them as politically and militarily untenable, and has instead called for firm Western security guarantees before agreeing to any deal with Russia.
In recent days, Ukraine has reported battlefield gains, retaking 201 square kilometres (78 square miles) over the past week, according to an AFP analysis based on data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The ISW said the advances may have been aided by disruptions to Russian communications, including reduced access to Starlink satellite services.
Most of the reclaimed territory lies about 80 kilometres east of Zaporizhzhia, an area where Russian forces have made steady progress since last summer.
The Zaporizhzhia region is home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, currently under Russian control, adding another layer of complexity to negotiations.
For the Geneva talks, the Kremlin has reappointed nationalist figure and former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky as chief negotiator.
“This time, we plan to discuss a broader set of issues, focusing on key ones related to the territories and other demands,” a spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters, including AFP, explaining the change in delegation.
Ukraine’s delegation will be led by former defence minister Rustem Umerov, while the White House is expected to send Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
