The second day of US-mediated talks on peace between Ukraine and Russia in Geneva collapsed in under two hours on Wednesday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claiming it was "not fair" that President Donald Trump was pressuring Ukraine to make concessions.
The head of Russia’s delegation said Wednesday’s talks wrapped up in under two hours, far less than the six hours of meetings the day prior, per the Daily Mail. The sides have not elaborated on what they discussed in the meetings.
The head of Russia's delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, told Russian state media that Wednesday’s talks were "difficult, but business-like." Zelensky accused Russia of seeking to "drag out" negotiations on Wednesday, and said the first day of discussions was "difficult."
On Monday, Trump said that Ukraine "better come to the table, fast," as the conflict nears its fourth anniversary. Zelensky told Axios on Tuesday, as the third round of direct talks was unfolding, that it was "not fair" that Trump was placing pressure on Ukraine rather than Russia for concessions in order to achieve peace between the two nations. Zelensky said that the way to create lasting peace was not "to give victory" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky said of Trump’s recent comments that it was up to Ukraine to make concessions, "I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision."
US mediators have proposed that Ukrainian forces withdraw from areas of the Donbas that they currently hold to allow for the area to become a demilitarized "free economic zone." Officials have not taken a position of which country would hold sovereignty over the area.
Zelensky is reportedly prepared to discuss a troop withdrawal, but has called for Russia to pull its troops back to an equivalent distance and has rejected Russia’s claim of sovereignty over the area. He said that in the second round of talks, Russian officials promised to consult with Moscow and come back with a detailed position regarding questions on the territory.
He also said that the US and Ukraine have agreed that any deal reached must be put to a vote with the Ukrainian people, with Zelensky saying that if the deal involved Ukraine pulling out of Donbas, it would likely be voted down, but if the deal involved freezing the current battle lines in Donbas, the Ukrainian people would likely accept it.
