Ukrainian officials are set to meet Trump envoys in Geneva over more Russia talks

Ukrainian and U.S. Officials to Meet Ahead of Russia-Ukraine Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Wednesday that a Ukrainian delegation will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys in Geneva on Thursday, setting the stage for another round of trilateral peace talks with Russia.

Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, is scheduled to hold discussions with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, according to Zelenskyy’s statement to reporters. The meeting aims to address details of a possible postwar recovery plan for Ukraine and prepare for upcoming trilateral negotiations with Russian officials, which Zelenskyy indicated could take place as early as next week.

Umerov has also been tasked with discussing a potential prisoner exchange, a humanitarian concern that has remained a focal point throughout the conflict.

Witkoff confirmed these plans on Tuesday, stating that after the Geneva meeting with Umerov, a trilateral meeting could follow in Florida. He noted that previous talks have made progress on security guarantees, with both sides actively engaging in the peace process. “There are almost daily conversations taking place between officials,” Witkoff said during the Yalta European Strategy forum in Kyiv.

The U.S. mediator emphasized that Washington is not pressuring Ukraine to make concessions, and described that Russian negotiators have shown “some moderation” in their approach to the talks.

This diplomatic push comes as the conflict enters its fifth year. Previous U.S.-brokered meetings in Abu Dhabi and Geneva have yet to produce significant breakthroughs on fundamental differences between the warring nations. These renewed diplomatic efforts coincide with the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Zelenskyy marked by noting that despite Moscow’s military advantages and bombardment of civilian areas, Russia has neither defeated Ukraine nor broken the Ukrainian spirit.

On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces have recently achieved what the Institute for the Study of War describes as “significant gains” along the approximately 1,250-kilometer front line in eastern Ukraine. According to the Washington-based think tank, these are the largest advances by Ukrainian forces in 2024, though they are unlikely to develop into major offensives due to Ukraine’s ongoing troop shortages. Nevertheless, analysts suggest these tactical successes may disrupt Russian plans for a spring-summer offensive.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has maintained its strategy of long-range drone strikes against military and infrastructure targets deep inside Russian territory. These operations have not been without diplomatic consequences—the U.S. State Department has reportedly expressed displeasure with Ukraine’s recent attacks on the Russian port of Novorossiysk, which have impacted U.S. oil interests in Kazakhstan, according to Kyiv’s chief envoy to Washington.

The human toll of the conflict continues to mount. A Ukrainian drone attack on the Dorogobuzh fertilizer plant in Russia’s Smolensk region killed seven workers and injured ten others, according to Governor Vasily Anokhin. In retaliation, Russian forces launched 115 drones overnight at Ukrainian targets, including a strike on a village in southern Zaporizhzhia that killed four people and injured a child, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported.

The upcoming Geneva talks take on additional significance as the Swiss city is also expected to host separate nuclear talks between the United States and Iran on Thursday, highlighting Switzerland’s continuing role as a neutral venue for high-stakes international diplomacy.

As Ukraine and Russia approach another round of negotiations, the international community watches closely for any signs of progress that might bring an end to a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and reshaped European security architecture.