Envoys signal no breakthrough on bridging Russia and Ukraine’s military, political differences

GENEVA — The latest U.S.-brokered talks between envoys from Moscow and Kyiv over Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine ended Wednesday with no sign of a breakthrough and with both sides saying the talks were “difficult,” as the war’s fourth anniversary approaches next week.

The negotiations in Switzerland were the third round of direct talks organized by the U.S., after meetings earlier this year in Abu Dhabi that officials described as constructive but which also made no major headway. Expectations for significant progress in Geneva were low.

“The negotiations were not easy,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the talks broke up and he spoke briefly by phone from Kyiv with his negotiating team.

He earlier accused Russia of “trying to drag out negotiations” while it presses on with its invasion — an accusation he and European leaders have repeatedly made in the past.

Despite that, some progress was made on military issues although political differences remain deep, including over the future of land in eastern Ukraine that is occupied by the Russian army and that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to keep, Zelenskyy said.

The head of the Russian delegation, Putin adviser Vladimir Medinsky, told reporters that the two days of talks in Geneva “were difficult but businesslike.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that it’s “too early” to speak about the outcome of the talks. Putin has been receiving reports about progress in Geneva, he said.

Both sides said a new round of talks is set to take place.

US will help monitor any ceasefire

Zelenskyy described the military discussions as “constructive,” adding that the armed forces of both countries considered how any future ceasefire might be monitored.

“Monitoring will definitely be carried out with participation of the American side,” he said in a voice message shared in a media group chat on WhatsApp.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on social media that Washington’s push for peace in Ukraine over the past year has “brought about meaningful progress,” without elaborating.

The two armies remain locked in battle on the roughly 1,250-kilometer (750-mile) front line, while Russia bombards civilian areas of Ukraine daily.

Hours after the first day of talks ended on Tuesday, Russian drones killed a woman and injured a 6-year-old girl and 18-month-old toddler in the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia, officials said.

Overnight, Russia launched one ballistic missile and 126 long-range drones at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian and American envoys in Geneva met with representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

Europe’s participation in the process is “indispensable,” Zelenskyy said.

European leaders, mindful of Putin’s wider ambitions, say their own security is at stake in Ukraine and have insisted on being consulted in peace efforts.

Russia and Ukraine appear to still be far apart on their demands for a settlement.

Zelenskyy has offered a ceasefire and a face-to-face meeting with Putin. But Moscow wants a comprehensive agreement before committing to a truce.

Putin’s key goals remain what he declared when Russia invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022: Ukraine must renounce joining NATO, sharply reduce the size of its army and protect Russian language and culture to keep the country in Moscow’s orbit.

Additionally, Putin wants Kyiv to withdraw its forces from the four eastern regions Moscow has occupied but doesn’t fully control.

Zelenskyy says Ukraine won’t surrender land to Russia.

Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.

日内瓦——由美国斡旋的莫斯科和基辅特使就俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰问题举行的最新一轮会谈于周三结束，没有取得任何突破的迹象，双方都表示会谈“很困难”，而下周正是这场战争四周年纪念日。

在瑞士举行的谈判是美国组织的第三轮直接会谈。此前，双方于今年早些时候在阿布扎比举行了会谈，官员们称那次会谈富有建设性，但并未取得重大进展。人们对日内瓦会谈取得重大进展的预期并不高。

“谈判并不容易，”乌克兰总统泽连斯基在会谈破裂后说道。他随后在基辅与他的谈判团队进行了简短的电话交谈。

他此前指责俄罗斯“试图拖延谈判”，同时继续进行入侵——他和欧洲领导人过去曾多次提出过这一指责。

泽连斯基表示，尽管如此，在军事问题上还是取得了一些进展，尽管政治分歧依然很深，包括俄罗斯军队占领的乌克兰东部土地的未来，而俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京希望保留这些土地。

俄罗斯代表团团长、普京顾问弗拉基米尔·梅金斯基告诉记者，在日内瓦举行的两天会谈“虽然艰难，但务实高效”。

克里姆林宫发言人德米特里·佩斯科夫告诉记者，现在谈论会谈结果“为时尚早”。他说，普京一直在关注日内瓦会谈的进展情况。

双方均表示将举行新一轮会谈。

美国将协助监督任何停火协议。

泽连斯基称军事会谈“富有建设性”，并补充说，两国武装部队讨论了如何监督未来的任何停火。

“监测工作肯定会在美国方面的参与下进行，”他在WhatsApp媒体群聊中分享的一条语音信息中说道。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的特使史蒂夫·威特科夫在社交媒体上表示，华盛顿过去一年来为乌克兰和平所做的努力“取得了实质性进展”，但他没有详细说明。

两军仍在长达约 1250 公里（750 英里）的前线激战，而俄罗斯每天都在炮击乌克兰的平民区。

官员称，周二首日会谈结束后几个小时，俄罗斯无人机在乌克兰南部城市扎波罗热炸死一名妇女，并造成一名 6 岁女孩和一名 18 个月大的幼儿受伤。

据乌克兰空军称，俄罗斯一夜之间向乌克兰发射了一枚弹道导弹和 126 架远程无人机。

泽连斯基表示，乌克兰和美国驻日内瓦特使会见了英国、法国、德国、意大利和瑞士的代表。

泽连斯基表示，欧洲参与这一进程是“不可或缺的”。

欧洲领导人意识到普京的更大野心，表示乌克兰局势危及自身安全，并坚持要求在和平进程中参与磋商。

俄罗斯和乌克兰在解决方案的要求上似乎仍然存在很大分歧。

泽连斯基提议停火并与普京举行面对面会晤。但莫斯科希望在承诺停火前达成一项全面协议。

普京的主要目标仍然是他于 2022 年 2 月 24 日俄罗斯入侵邻国时所宣布的：乌克兰必须放弃加入北约，大幅削减军队规模，并保护俄罗斯语言和文化，才能使该国继续留在莫斯科的势力范围内。

此外，普京希望基辅从莫斯科占领但尚未完全控制的四个东部地区撤军。

泽连斯基表示，乌克兰不会向俄罗斯割让土地。

诺维科夫从乌克兰基辅报道。