Trump ups pressure on Kyiv as Russia and Ukraine hold peace talks in Geneva

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine are gathering once more on neutral ground in Geneva, where the hush of diplomatic corridors will host another fragile attempt at peace. The two-day talks, beginning Tuesday, unfold under the long shadow of a war that has become Europe’s most devastating conflict since World War II — and just days before the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion on 24 February, the Al Jazeera reported.

Hovering over the negotiations is Donald Trump, who has intensified his calls for a swift settlement. From aboard Air Force One, the US president described the Geneva discussions as “big” and bluntly urged Kyiv to “come to the table, fast”, offering little more by way of detail, the Al Jazeera reported. Yet in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced unease, saying Ukraine appears to be bearing the brunt of Washington’s pressure to concede ground.

At the heart of the impasse lies territory — always territory. Russia is demanding that Kyiv relinquish the remaining 20 per cent of the eastern Donetsk region still beyond Moscow’s grasp, a concession Ukraine has firmly rejected. The Kremlin insists its core demands remain unchanged, signalling that questions of land and broader security arrangements will dominate the Geneva agenda.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks would be held behind closed doors, shielded from media glare. Unlike earlier rounds in Abu Dhabi that yielded little progress, this meeting, he suggested, would address “the main issues” directly. The Russian delegation will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, alongside military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov. Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special envoy, will participate in a separate working group focused on economic matters.

On the Ukrainian side, the delegation will be headed by Rustem Umerov, secretary of the national security and defence council, and include senior officials such as Kyrylo Budanov and Serhiy Kyslytsya. Before departing for Geneva, Umerov reaffirmed Kyiv’s pursuit of “a sustainable and lasting peace,” though Ukrainian officials remain sceptical of Moscow’s willingness to compromise.

Even as diplomats prepare their dossiers, the guns have not fallen silent. Zelenskyy said continued Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory betray Moscow’s indifference to diplomatic overtures. “Only with sufficient pressure on Russia and clear security guarantees for Ukraine can this war realistically be brought to an end,” he wrote on social media.

Nearly four years on, the war’s toll is staggering: tens of thousands dead, millions displaced, and vast swathes of Ukrainian cities reduced to rubble. Russia controls roughly one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea and parts of the Donbas seized before the 2022 invasion. Beyond land, disputes over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the potential presence of Western troops in a post-war Ukraine remain deeply contentious.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to represent the Trump administration at the Geneva talks, underscoring Washington’s renewed diplomatic engagement.

Whether Geneva becomes a turning point or merely another chapter in a grinding conflict remains uncertain. For now, beneath the serene skyline of the Swiss city, adversaries will sit across from one another — burdened by history, hardened by war, and watched by a weary world longing for an end to Europe’s bloodiest struggle in generations.