Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks in Geneva to Focus on Territory, Kremlin Says

Representatives from Ukraine and Russia are meeting in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday for a new round of U.S.-mediated peace talks, with the Kremlin stating the discussions will likely center on territory, the core dispute.

U.S. President Donald Trump has pressed Moscow and Kyiv to agree to end Europe's largest war since 1945. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has complained that Kyiv faces the greatest pressure to concede ground.

Russia demands Ukraine cede the remaining 20% of the eastern Donetsk region it has not captured, a demand Kyiv rejects. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday: "This time, the idea is to discuss a wider range of issues, including in fact, the main issues. The main issues relate to territories and everything else related to our demands."

The talks follow two rounds in Abu Dhabi described as constructive by both sides but yielding no major breakthroughs. The Geneva round precedes the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The war has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and devastated numerous Ukrainian cities, districts and villages.

Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas seized before 2022. Recent Russian airstrikes on energy infrastructure have left hundreds of thousands without heat or power amid winter.

Hopes for significant progress are slim. Russia's delegation is led by Vladimir Medinsky, an assistant to President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian negotiators have previously accused Medinsky of using historical lectures to justify the invasion. Igor Kostyukov, head of Russian military intelligence, will join, while Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special envoy, will handle economic issues in a separate group.

Zelensky said Saturday at the Munich Security Conference: "I hope the Geneva talks are serious and substantive. But to be honest, sometimes it feels like the parties are talking about completely different things."

Ukraine's team is headed by Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, and Kyrylo Budanov, head of Zelensky's office. Serhiy Kisselitsa, a senior presidential aide, will also attend. Umerov stated Ukraine's goal remains "sustainable and lasting peace."

Disputes extend beyond territory to control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and any postwar Western military role in Ukraine.