Washington and Kyiv held informal discussions in Geneva on Thursday to map out reconstruction plans for the war-torn country and prepare for another round of talks involving Russia next week. Behind the scenes, Switzerland quietly handled the logistics, reinforcing its reputation as a dependable organiser.

Donald Trump’s peace envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were back in Geneva on Thursday for a marathon day of negotiations. The all-purpose duo stuck to their trademark approach – shuttling from one side of the lake to juggle two of the world’s most high-stakes diplomatic tracks. Informal discussions with Ukraine – at a lower level than last week, as Russia didn’t take part – were held at the Four Seasons Hotel on the right bank of the Rhone, squeezed between two rounds of indirect nuclear talks with Iran.

“We are focused on practical solutions,” Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council and chief negotiator, wrote on X as the meeting began.

The informal meeting follows last week’s collapse of talks involving Russia and is expected to lay the groundwork for another round of trilateral talks next week. Ukrainian parliamentarian Davyd Arakhamia, who also joined the Ukrainian delegation, is overseeing preparations, which Umerov said would require “synchronising positions”.

After holding a phone call with Trump on Wednesday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said both sides want to elevate the process to a “leader level” after next week’s trilateral meeting. That same evening, Russian strikes pummeled several Ukrainian cities – a reminder that while diplomats work out a deal, the war continues unabated.

Ukraine’s recovery at stake

Kyiv’s chief negotiator was joined by Ukraine’s economy minister, Oleksii Sobolev, to discuss reconstruction, which the World Bank estimates will cost $588 billion. Over the weekend, Politico revealed details of the so-called prosperity package – a $800bn, 10-year proposal by the US and the European Union aimed at attracting investment and accelerating Kyiv’s EU path.

Economic discussions did not only concern Ukraine. Kirill Dimitriev, the head of Russia’s wealth fund and architect of Washington’s peace blueprint for Ukraine, was also dispatched to continue separate informal discussions with the Americans on US-Russian economic cooperation. “Ultimately, Trump wants to normalise relations with Russia in order to pursue business opportunities,” analyses Thomas Greminger, executive director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

And the US administration appears ready to use its economic leverage. While Kyiv and Washington were huddled inside the five-star luxury hotel, treasury secretary Scott Bessent said his department would seek to sever Swiss bank MBaer from the US financial system over “its financial support to illicit actors linked to Russia and Iran”.

Swiss facilitators

If Geneva has returned to the diplomatic spotlight in recent weeks, Switzerland’s foreign ministry can claim a large part of the credit. Yet, true to form, Swiss officials have kept their involvement low-key. Bern took on the organisational responsibilities for Thursday’s Ukrainian track, foreign ministry spokesperson Nicolas Bideau confirmed to Le Temps and Geneva Solutions. “These exchanges aim to support diplomatic efforts towards progress in the negotiation process,” he said.