Kyiv [Ukraine], February 16 (ANI): Ukrainian officials on Monday left for Geneva, Switzerland, where another round of negotiations with Russia is set to take place in an effort to end the war, which will mark its fourth year this month following Moscow’s invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine’s Chief of Staff, Kyrylo Budanov, confirmed the development in a post on Telegram, saying the delegation is heading to Geneva for new diplomatic engagements.
“On the way to Geneva. The next round of negotiations is ahead. Along the way, we will discuss the lessons of our history with our colleagues and seek the right conclusions. Ukraine’s interests must be protected,” Budanov said.
The upcoming talks are part of ongoing international efforts, mediated by the United States, to reach a negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia.
According to Al Jazeera, the Geneva discussions follow two rounds of negotiations brokered by the United States and held in the United Arab Emirates in January and early February.
The most recent meeting marked the first publicly acknowledged direct engagement between Moscow and Kyiv regarding a proposal from the Trump administration to end the conflict. Although both sides characterized the talks as constructive, they did not yield a significant breakthrough, Al Jazeera reported.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said he spoke with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and expressed hope that the Geneva trilateral meeting would be “truly productive.”
“We also discussed some developments following the meetings in Abu Dhabi. Not everything can be shared over the phone, and our negotiating team will present Ukraine’s position next week. I also spoke about our meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. We greatly appreciate that America consistently maintains a constructive approach and is ready to assist in protecting lives,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
Budanov, a former Ukrainian military intelligence chief, was appointed chief of staff in early January amid the critical peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Announcing the decision on X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs a sharper focus on security, defense preparedness and negotiations as efforts continue to end the conflict.
“Ukraine needs greater focus on security issues, the development of the Defence and Security Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the diplomatic track of negotiations, and the Office of the President will primarily serve the fulfillment of these tasks of our state,” Zelenskyy said. (ANI)
About The Author
