Geneva Peace Talks Continue as Ukraine’s Leader Criticizes U.S. Pressure

Ukrainian and Russian representatives resumed diplomatic discussions in Switzerland for a second day Wednesday, with U.S. mediation aimed at ending the four-year conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed frustration with what he calls unfair American pressure to make concessions while Russia faces less scrutiny.

GENEVA – Diplomatic representatives from Ukraine and Russia reconvened Wednesday for their second consecutive day of negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced concerns about excessive American pressure to conclude the four-year conflict.

The Switzerland-based discussions, facilitated by U.S. mediators, come amid repeated public statements from President Donald Trump suggesting Ukraine and its leader must take decisive action to ensure successful negotiations.

In a Tuesday interview with Axios, Zelenskyy expressed his displeasure with Trump’s approach, stating it was “not fair” that the American president consistently demands Ukraine, rather than Russia, make compromises when discussing potential peace agreement terms.

The Ukrainian leader firmly stated that any proposed settlement requiring his country to surrender territory in the eastern Donbas region that remains under Ukrainian control would face rejection by citizens in a national referendum.

“I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision,” Zelenskyy told Axios regarding Trump’s public statements.

Despite his criticism, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for Trump’s diplomatic efforts and noted that his direct discussions with chief U.S. negotiator Steve Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner have not involved similar pressure tactics.

Trump addressed reporters Monday with a direct message: “Ukraine better come to the table fast. That’s all I’m telling you.”

Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov, who leads the National Security and Defence Council, characterized Tuesday’s discussions as focusing on “practical issues and the mechanics of possible decisions,” though he declined to elaborate on specifics.

Russian representatives remained silent about the proceedings, but Russian media outlets cited unnamed sources describing the talks as “very tense” and lasting six hours across various bilateral and trilateral meeting formats.

Prior to the Geneva meetings, Umerov tempered expectations for major progress, indicating the Ukrainian delegation approached the talks “without excessive expectations.”

During his Tuesday evening address, Zelenskyy said he awaited updates from his negotiating team in Switzerland.

“We are ready to move quickly toward a worthy agreement to end the war,” Zelenskyy declared. “The question for the Russians is: Just what do they want?”

These Geneva discussions follow two previous rounds of American-brokered negotiations in Abu Dhabi that ended without significant progress, as both nations remained deeply divided on crucial matters including territorial control in eastern Ukraine.

Early Wednesday, Witkoff praised Trump’s diplomatic approach on social media platform X, stating that Trump’s “success in bringing both sides of this war together has brought about meaningful progress, and we are proud to work under his leadership to stop the killing in this terrible conflict.”

“Both parties agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working towards a deal,” Witkoff added.