Will Zelensky Achieve Substantial Talks with the US and Russia?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Munich, Feb 15 (NationPress) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his aspiration for meaningful and productive discussions during the forthcoming peace negotiations with both Russia and the United States in Geneva.
"We genuinely anticipate that the trilateral meetings next week will be meaningful, productive, and beneficial for all involved," Zelensky remarked during his address at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday (local time), as reported on the official website of the Ukrainian president.
Zelensky pointed out that the United States has frequently focused on the subject of concessions regarding Ukraine in the trilateral discussions, rather than addressing similar issues with Russia.
"The Americans often revisit the subject of concessions, and too frequently those discussions revolve solely around Ukraine -- not Russia," he noted.
Earlier in late January and early February, two rounds of security working group talks took place involving delegates from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, according to a report from Xinhua news agency.
While Ukraine and Russia managed to agree on a large-scale prisoner exchange, they did not achieve significant progress on critical matters like territorial disputes and a ceasefire.
The subsequent round of discussions is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva, with the Russian delegation expected to be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, as reported by Russia's state news agency TASS, citing Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson.
Ukraine's chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, shared on Facebook that the Ukrainian team has been assembled, incorporating military, political, and security aspects into the negotiation process.
Umerov emphasized that the primary aim of the Ukrainian delegation at the talks is to achieve a sustainable and lasting peace.
The inaugural round of trilateral security discussions among the three nations occurred on January 23-24 in Abu Dhabi, with the Russian delegation headed by Igor Kostyukov, the country's military intelligence chief.
The second round took place on February 4-5 in the same location. Following this meeting, US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced that Russia and Ukraine had consented to an exchange of 314 prisoners of war.