Zelensky Admits Progress at Geneva Talks, Outlines Two Unresolved Issues

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about the progress achieved in military matters during the Geneva negotiations. According to him, Ukrainian forces understand the mechanisms for implementing the agreements, but political will is necessary.

Military Agreements on Track

"They have, in principle, agreed on almost everything. Monitoring (ceasefire — ed. note) will definitely involve the American side,” Zelensky said, emphasizing that the priority is security guarantees for Ukraine. Ukrainian representatives have clear directives for every aspect of the negotiations.

Territorial Issues Remain Stalled

However, Zelensky noted that there has been no progress on territorial issues, particularly regarding Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, described the mood after the three-way meeting as "good,” with the next step being consensus with the Russian side on key decisions before presenting them to national leaders.

Negotiation Details

Sources reported that the Russian delegation will not remain in Geneva long and will return to Moscow shortly. The negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States took place on February 17-18 in a closed session at the InterContinental Hotel. The first day lasted over six hours, while discussions on the second day ran about two hours. The main sticking point again was territorial issues. According to Axios, Ukraine is willing to discuss the withdrawal of its armed forces from Donbas but insists on a reciprocal pullback of Russian troops.