TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Geneva on Tuesday for the latest round of US-mediated peace talks, a week before the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
However, as reported by PBS, expectations for any breakthrough in the two-day talks scheduled for Switzerland are low. Both sides have refused to change their positions on key territorial issues and future security guarantees, despite the United States (US) setting a June deadline for a settlement.
The head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, posted a photo on social media showing the three delegates at a horseshoe-shaped table, with Ukrainian and Russian officials sitting opposite. US President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner sat at the head of the table in front of US, Russian, Ukrainian, and Swiss flags.
"The agenda includes security and humanitarian issues," Umerov said, adding that Ukraine would work "without excessive expectations."
Extremely Difficult Talks
Discussions on the future of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory are expected to be extremely difficult, according to a person familiar with the talks who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak to reporters.
Russia is still insisting that Ukraine cede control of the eastern Donbas region.
Also in Geneva will be the military chiefs of the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, who will discuss how monitoring of the ceasefire can be carried out after a peace deal, and what is needed to enforce it, the person said.
During earlier talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, military leaders discussed how a demilitarized zone could be set up and how the militaries of all sides could communicate with each other, the person added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned against expecting developments on the first day of talks, as they are scheduled to continue on Wednesday. Moscow has provided few details about the previous talks.
The undermanned Ukrainian army is engaged in a war of attrition with a larger Russian force along a roughly 1,250-kilometer front. Ukrainian civilians endured repeated Russian airstrikes that cut off power and destroyed homes.
The future of the nearly 20 percent of Ukrainian land occupied or still under Russian control was a key issue in the talks, as was Kyiv's demand for post-war security guarantees with U.S. support to deter Moscow from attacking again.
Trump described the Geneva meeting as "big talks."
"Ukraine better come to the table fast," he told reporters Monday night as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida.
It was not immediately clear what Trump was referring to in his comments about Ukraine, which has committed to and participated in negotiations in hopes of ending Russia's devastating offensive.
Delicate Negotiations
The Russian delegation was led by Russian President Vladimir Putin's adviser, Vladimir Medinsky, who led Moscow's negotiating team in the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul in March 2022. He has aggressively pushed Putin's war aims. Medinsky has written several history books claiming to expose Western conspiracies against Russia and denounce Ukraine.
The commander of U.S. military and NATO forces in Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, and U.S. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will attend meetings in Geneva on behalf of the U.S. military and meet with their Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, said Colonel Martin O'Donnell, a spokesman for the U.S. commander.
Overnight, Russia used nearly 400 long-range drones and 29 missiles of various types to attack 12 Ukrainian regions, injuring nine people, including children, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky said tens of thousands of residents lost access to heating and clean water in the southern port city of Odesa. He said Moscow must be "held accountable" for the relentless attacks, which he said are undermining U.S. peace efforts.
"The more this evil comes from Russia, the harder it will be for everyone to reach any agreements with them. Partners must understand this. First and foremost, this concerns the United States," the Ukrainian leader said on social media Monday night.
"We agreed to all realistic proposals from the United States, starting with the proposal for an unconditional and long-term ceasefire," Zelensky said.
The talks in Geneva took place as US officials also held indirect talks with Iran in the Swiss city.
Meanwhile, the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, used long-range drones to attack oil terminals in southern Russia and a large chemical plant in the country's interior, said a Ukrainian security official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The drones targeted the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal, one of the largest ports on the Black Sea, in Russia's Krasnodar region, for the second time this month, causing a fire, the official said.
Drones also attacked the Metafrax Chemicals plant, which produces chemical components used in explosives and other military materials, in Russia's Perm region, more than 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, the official said.
Read: Zelenskyy May Yield Territory to Russia for Peace
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