Ukrainian officials head to Geneva for another round of talks with Russia amid war | World News

Ukrainian officials departed Monday for Geneva, Switzerland, where a new round of talks will be held with Russia aimed at ending the war, which will complete its fourth year this month following Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.

Ukrainian Chief of General Staff Kyrylo Budanov confirmed the development in his Telegram post and said that the delegation would go to Geneva for new diplomatic contacts.
In his post, Budanov said, “On the way to Geneva. The next round of negotiations is ahead of us. Along the way, we will discuss the lessons learned from our history with our colleagues and come to the right conclusions. Ukraine’s interests must be protected.” he said.

The upcoming talks are part of ongoing international efforts, mediated by the United States, to find a negotiated solution to the war between Ukraine and Russia.
The Geneva talks followed two rounds of US-brokered talks held in the United Arab Emirates in January and early February, according to Al Jazeera.

The latest meeting was the first publicly acknowledged direct contact between Moscow and Kiev regarding the Trump administration’s proposal to end the conflict.
According to Al Jazeera, although both sides described the talks as constructive, no significant progress was made.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he met with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on Sunday and expected the Geneva trilateral meeting to be “really productive”.

Zelenskyy said in a post on the he said.

Budanov, a former Ukrainian military intelligence chief, was appointed as the new chief of staff in early January amid crucial peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Announcing the decision on X, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine should focus more on security, defense preparedness and negotiations as efforts to end the conflict continue.

“There needs to be more focus on Ukraine’s security issues, the development of the Ukrainian Defense and Security Forces, as well as the diplomatic path of negotiations, and the Presidential Office will primarily serve to fulfill these duties of our state,” Zelenskyy said in his post. he said.