U.S. mediated peace treaties with Russia and Ukraine are still happening for the second time in Geneva. The negotiations aim to end the four-year war, but they could push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make unfair compromises to Washington to stop the fighting.
To say it is up to Ukraine to make the moves of the negotiations succeed is not fair. In an interview, Zelenskyy stated that it is Ukraine that suffers the invasion and therefore it is not fair for the supposed peace to be put on the aggressor and not the defender. In response to an attempt to negotiate peace with the condition of Ukraine losing territory. Zelenskyy stated that he would not support and the people would be in opposition to the plan.
Tense Discussions in Geneva
Negotiators returned to the table in Geneva on September 13 for more discussions, which shifted to focus on the political and military parameters. With everything that’s going on, it’s still early to tell if we will have a major breakthrough. said the head negotiator for Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, as he attempted to bring down everyone’s expectations.
The Russian representatives described the first day of discussions as “very tense.” Each round table had a 6 hour meeting in either bilateral or trilateral format. In regards to the Russian representatives, the Kremlin has deviated from the maximalist position demands over Ukraine. From their perspective, they continuously own 20% of Ukraine, inclusive of the current wars over Donbas and Crimea.
Meaningful Progress
With the presence of U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, there is an unmistakable sense of progress in the negotiations. In a post made by Witkoff on his social media, he recognized President Trump as having meaningful progress and said that all parties would be ultimatums to their heads of state.
Negotiations have been organized by Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the U.S. President. On the side of Russia, the aide of President Putin, Vladimir Medinsky, heads the delegation. These talks are taking place on the eve of the 4th anniversary of the invasion, which has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
Battlefield Reality and Sovereignty
While these talks are ongoing, the fighting continues. It was reported on the night of the 25th, that Russia launched 126 drones attacks, and on the Ukrainian side, there are claims that 43 were shot down. These actions signify the tensions of the days leading up to the Geneva Conference.
Zelenskyy has made it clear that Ukraine is looking for very strong assurances from the West regarding security. It was stated that Ukraine is prepared to refrain from strikes if an edible deal is on the table. He still remains skeptical of these actions on the part of Trump. “I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision” Zelenskyy stated in regard to the pressure to give up territory. The world is watching to see if the second day of negotiations can close the gap.
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