The Ukrainian delegation has achieved significant progress in the military block of issues during negotiations in Geneva, though positions on political aspects remains divergent.
President Volodymyr Zelensky briefed journalists on the outcomes of the Geneva meeting, according to Hvylya. The head of state explained that discussions focused on two key areas: military and political.
In the military component, all three parties demonstrated a constructive approach and have nearly finalized mechanisms for monitoring ceasefire compliance.
"The military understands how to monitor a ceasefire and the cessation of war, provided there is political will. They have agreed on almost everything. Monitoring will definitely include American participation. All other details—where and how to monitor, the technical specifics—will be reported to me by General Hnatov upon his return," Zelensky noted.
The President specifically emphasized that monitoring would be carried out with the mandatory participation of the United States, calling it an extremely constructive signal.
The political component of the negotiations proved significantly more difficult due to the high sensitivity of the topics discussed. The Ukrainian leader acknowledged that the negotiation process is moving slowly, and while certain developments exist, the participants' positions remain different.
"In the military direction, I heard progress; in the political direction... well, there was a dialogue. We agreed to move forward and continue. I did not hear the same level of progress there as in the military plan," Zelensky stated.
The nuances and details of the Geneva meeting will be discussed in Kyiv following a personal report from the negotiating subgroup, as some issues cannot be discussed via telephone for security reasons.
Russia stalling negotiations
Furthermore, Zelensky stated that Russia is intentionally dragging out the negotiation process in Geneva, which could have already reached its final stage.
"Yesterday’s meetings were indeed difficult, and we can state that Russia is trying to stall negotiations that could have already entered the final phase. I thank the American side for their attention to detail and patience in conversations with the present representatives of Russia," the President noted.
In turn, NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov described the Geneva talks as intensive and substantive. According to him, the teams worked in detail on security parameters and mechanisms for implementing peace solutions. Some issues have already been clarified, while others require an additional stage of coordination.
"We are focused on working through the key provisions necessary to finalize the process. This is complex work that requires the agreement of all parties and sufficient time. There is progress, but details cannot be disclosed at this stage," Umerov emphasized.
The next step will involve preparing a practical, rather than just formal, basis for agreements, with subsequent presentation of solutions for the presidents' consideration. Kyiv's ultimate goal remains achieving a just and stable peace.
It should be noted that both the Ukrainian and Russian sides confirmed the conclusion of the trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, the US, and the RF in Geneva.
Specifically, the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, stated that the peace talks had concluded. According to him, a new meeting of delegations will take place soon. In comments to Russian media, he said the "negotiations in Geneva were difficult but businesslike."