The abrupt halt to political negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Geneva casts fresh doubts on the future of peace talks.<\/p>\n
A second day of US-brokered negotiations in Geneva between Russia and Ukraine was abruptly cut short on Wednesday morning. The talks, which kicked off on Tuesday, were expected to last for the entire day. Only two hours into the deliberations, Russia\u2019s lead negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, announced through Russian media that the talks had ended.<\/p>\n
Between Russia\u2019s maximalist positions, a rift in the Ukrainian camp and Washington\u2019s rushed manner, conditions for the US-brokered talks aimed at ending Ukraine\u2019s four-year-long war were less than favourable.<\/p>\n
\u2018Tense\u2019 and \u2018constructive\u2019<\/p>\n
Little to nothing was communicated about what transpired behind the closely guarded doors of the Intercontinental Hotel. European journalists waited in vain for three hours for a press conference that never happened on Tuesday. Shortly after the first day, US envoy Steve Witkoff assured in a post on X that the parties had agreed to \u201ccontinue working towards a deal\u201d on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The abrupt suspension took most by surprise. Medinsky described the talks as \u201cdifficult but businesslike\u201d. On Ukraine\u2019s side, the head of delegation, Rustem Umerov, told reporters that there had been \u201cprogress\u201d but that \u201cno details can be disclosed at this stage\u201d. Ukrainian president Zelenskyy, who had accused Russia of \u201ctrying to drag out\u201d negotiations, said key issues, namely the fate of Ukraine\u2019s occupied territories and the Zaporizhzhia, remained unresolved. However, one positive outcome he noted was an overall agreement that any future ceasefire monitoring mechanism would involve the US.<\/p>\n
But while lead negotiators called it quits before midday, technical working groups stayed behind to continue negotiating on specific issues, said Thomas Greminger, executive director of the Geneva Security Policy Centre, who has been following the negotiations. The groups are said to involve all parties.<\/p>\n
Medinsky said another round of talks would be scheduled in \u201cthe nearest future\u201d before holding a two-hour closed-door meeting with an undisclosed individual and heading off to the airport, according to Russian media RIA Novosti. The Ukrainian delegation is expected to fly out in the evening. This could signal that peace is still somewhere on the table. The key question is under which and whose terms.<\/p>\n
Maximalist demands<\/p>\n
Greminger was not surprised that the political track failed to deliver any major breakthroughs, given the many divergences remaining. However, \u201ctechnical progress\u201d seems possible, according to the Swiss diplomat, especially in two negotiation tracks expected to be Wednesday\u2019s focus\u00a0 \u2013 military and economic interests.<\/p>\n
But the return of Medinsky, Vladimir Putin\u2019s aide and an ideologue known for his historical distortions, may have upended the dynamics for the military discussions, which had made good progress in Abu Dhabi, by bringing back to the table sensitive political issues such as the Russian language and the Russian Orthodox Church, exasperating many.<\/p>\n
\u201cRussian demands are more maximalist than I was expecting,\u201d says Greminger. He cites the example of the American proposal to create a free economic zone in Donetsk, in the eastern Donbas, with Moscow entertaining the idea on the condition of the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces \u2013 an idea firmly rejected by Kyiv.<\/p>\n
Zelenskyy had also announced shortly before Wednesday\u2019s meeting that humanitarian issues were on the agenda, namely \u201cthe exchange of prisoners of war and the release of prisoners\u201d \u2013 a key area of interest for Ukrainians and one of the few issues where the warring parties have been able to reach an agreement in previous rounds.<\/p>\n