Ukraine and Russia Begin New U.S.-Mediated Peace Talks Amid Low Expectations

Ukrainian and Russian officials met in Geneva for a new round of U.S.-brokered peace talks, a third trilateral session in roughly as many weeks, though hopes for a breakthrough remained low. The talks, set to run Tuesday through Wednesday, will be mediated by Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law; the pair will also take part in separate negotiations focused on Iran.

Earlier trilateral meetings in the United Arab Emirates were described as productive but produced little beyond a prisoner-of-war exchange, even as fighting continues and the conflict approaches its fifth year. Those sessions focused on the mechanics of a cease-fire and how it would be monitored by the United States, while the larger obstacles — the fate of territory in the east and postwar Western security guarantees — remained unresolved.

Kyiv’s delegation includes Rustem Umerov, the secretary of the National Security Council, and Kyrylo Budanov, the president’s chief of staff.

Switzerland, Geneva

ukraine, russia, geneva, us mediation, peace talks, jared kushner, steve witkoff, prisoner exchange, ceasefire, kyrylo budanov