This article was originally published in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Read the original article.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that two days of US-brokered talks with Russia have produced mixed results, with progress on military aspects but "sensitive issues" remaining in political areas.
Separately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "too early" to assess the results of the talks, held in Geneva, Switzerland. There was no immediate comment from US officials.
Speaking to journalists in an online chat organized by the presidential office, Zelenskyy said "all three sides were constructive on the military track" of the talks.
"The military basically understands how to monitor a cease-fire and the end of the war, if there is political will. They have basically agreed on pretty much everything there. Monitoring will definitely involve the American side," he said.
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"On the political track there was dialogue -– they agreed to move forward and to continue. I did not hear the same level of progress there as on the military side. But...my group said they cannot report everything to me over the phone," Zelenskyy added.
Speaking to Russian state media as official talks ended on February 18, Moscow's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said the negotiations had been "difficult but businesslike" and that further meetings would follow.
The previous day, the lead White House envoy in Geneva, Steve Witkoff, said there had been "meaningful progress."
"Both parties agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working towards a deal," he said in a post to X.
The February 17-18 meetings in Geneva -- the third round of trilateral talks held over the past month -- have focused on two of the thorniest obstacles to halting the war: territorial claims and security guarantees.
The meetings came a week before the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion that has killed or wounded nearly 2 million people on both sides.
The US-led efforts have progressed further than any other time since the months following the February 24, 2022, invasion.
However, Russia has shown little inclination to back away from its hard-line demands, which include Kyiv relinquishing territory it still holds in the eastern Donbas region.
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Ukraine, meanwhile, has pushed Washington and European allies for iron-clad security guarantees that would help protect it against future Russian aggression.
The Russians "have given no indication that they're willing to make any changes from their maximum demands," William Taylor, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, told RFE/RL.
Without a cease-fire, he said, broader agreements are unrealistic.
"Everything depends on stopping the fighting," Taylor said.
On the eve of the talks, Russia again pummeled Ukrainian towns and cities with drones and missiles, hitting residential buildings and energy infrastructure. Millions of Ukrainians have suffered through heat and power outages as a result of Russian bombardment of power plants and transmission lines.
The continued Russian attacks suggest a lack of seriousness about the talks, Taylor said.
Steven Pifer, another former US ambassador to Ukraine, questioned whether Russia was negotiating mainly for show rather than to narrow substantive gaps between the two sides.
"Are they bringing anything new that actually might narrow the differences between the sides?" he asked.
"I have to say, in general, I'm fairly skeptical about the prospects for the talks," he told RFE/RL.
Copyright (c)2025 RFE/RL, Inc. Used with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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