Ukraine, Russia, and the USA organized a new round of trilateral peace talks in Geneva on Tuesday. While Washington insists on progress towards an agreement before summer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the Ukrainian people will not accept the cession of the Donbas region to Russia.
The first day of trilateral peace negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States concluded in Geneva after more than five hours, reports The Kyiv Independent.
The trilateral negotiations were officially opened by Swiss Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, who welcomed the delegations. His country hosts the meeting in its traditional role as an organizer.
"Switzerland is not a party to the negotiations, but actively supports this trilateral approach aimed at promoting de-escalation and seeking lasting peace," a government spokesperson said.
A further session is scheduled for Wednesday. This is the third round of negotiations, following previous meetings that ended without progress.
What was discussed on the first day in Geneva
A source within the Ukrainian delegation told Ukrainska Pravda that by Tuesday evening, the delegations had concluded discussions in the political section, while the military group continued its work.
"Discussions focused on practical issues and possible solution mechanisms. We want to thank our American partners for their constructive cooperation," said Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, head of the Ukrainian delegation.
He added that the results of the first day would be reported to President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.
The leader in Kiev indicated that the most sensitive issues, including territories and control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, remained unresolved after discussions in the United Arab Emirates.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on February 16 that this round would cover a wider range of issues than the limited set discussed earlier in Abu Dhabi.
"This time, we intend to discuss a wider range of issues, including, in fact, the main issues concerning both territories and everything related to our claims," he said.
Ukrainians do not want to give up Donbas
However, Ukrainians do not want to cede the Donbas region to Russia. Volodymyr Zelensky stated in an interview with Axios that Ukrainians will not accept a peace agreement that involves Ukraine unilaterally withdrawing from Donbas and handing it over to Russia.
According to the Ukrainian president, the best way to achieve territorial progress is through a face-to-face meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
He also stated that he instructed his team to discuss a future leaders' meeting in Geneva.
Zelensky said he is willing to discuss troop withdrawal but asked Moscow to withdraw its forces at an equivalent distance and rejected Russia's claims of sovereignty over the area.
He also mentioned that Washington and Kiev agreed that any agreement must be subject to a referendum of the Ukrainian people. However, if an agreement would mean Ukraine simply withdrawing from Donbas, sacrificing its sovereignty and the citizenship of the people living there, he believes it would be rejected.
Zelensky said that emotionally, the people will never forgive the authorities in Kiev or international partners for abandoning the citizens and the Ukrainian land. "This is part of our country, all these citizens, the flag, the land," Zelensky said.
Instead, he believes Ukrainians would accept an agreement that freezes the current front line in Donbas.
However, Russia reiterates that it will take over the entire Donbas - either through discussions or by force. Finding an acceptable solution for both parties to this thorny issue is the number one priority for US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at this week's peace talks. The outcomes remain to be seen.