Geneva Talks Continue Wednesday as US Mediates Ukraine-Russia Negotiations

In Geneva, negotiations between Ukrainians and Russians under American mediation were described as "très tendus" on Tuesday and were set to continue on Wednesday, according to a source close to the Russian delegation.

“During his first Christmas address to the crowd in St”

Corriere del Ticino

The first of two days of talks in Geneva was completed under the US-led mediation, with a source close to the Russian delegation telling journalists, "C'est tout pour aujourd'hui".

Corriere del Ticino

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 2 000 Ukrainian children had been recovered by Kiev since the start of the war, while he added that "Des milliers" remained captives in Russia and in the occupied territories.

The talks in Geneva were framed as trilateral, with ex-Ukraine defense minister Roustem Oumerov saying on Facebook, "Nous entamons un nouveau cycle de négociations sous un format trilatéral : Ukraine, États-Unis et Russie".

European security advisers from Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy were present in Geneva, with an Italian government source saying that "Des entretiens" were planned between the European national security advisers and the Ukrainian and American delegations in the margins of the negotiations.

In London, leaders of Britain, France and Germany backed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for direct ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine, saying in a joint statement that they "supported the proposal for a direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia – with active US and European participation – to bring about a ceasefire and support further negotiations".

The same joint statement said, "The current line of contact should be the starting point for negotiations," and added that "International borders must not be changed by force."

France 24

Zelensky proposed a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an open letter on Thursday, writing, "Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us," according to the Hong Kong outlet.

In the France 24 coverage of Geneva, Zelensky also said that "Des milliers d'enfants ukrainiens sont toujours captifs en Russie" and described them as "les victimes de ses crimes".

The Jerusalem Post reported that Zelensky asked Russian Jewish oligarch Roman Abramovich to tell Putin that Kyiv was ready for direct talks, citing the Financial Times and quoting Putin’s position that "The only sense in it is for the Ukrainians to stop the advance of our armed forces".

Alongside the peace-track diplomacy, France 24 reported that Emmanuel Macron called on India to support a "moratoire" on strikes against civilians and civilian infrastructure, saying, "Nous pourrions unir nos efforts pour soutenir la mise en place d'un moratoire immédiat et durable sur les frappes contre les civils, les infrastructures civiles".

“The leaders of Britain, France and Germany back Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for direct ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine, they said Sunday after meeting with him in London”

Gulf News

The same France 24 report described a strike in Ukraine that killed five people and hit a nuclear storage facility near the Chernobyl disaster site, with Zelensky writing on X, "An extremely critical infrastructure facility – and an extremely vile Russian strike," and adding that Russia used a Shahed attack drone.

In parallel, Le Monde.fr said that behind the scenes of the Geneva talks ending without results on Tuesday, February 17, and Wednesday, February 18, Kirill Dmitriev met Donald Trump's personal emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the InterContinental Hotel in Geneva.

Le Monde.fr said the "economic channel" focused on developing a large-scale partnership between the two countries, with "the promise to lift or ease some of the American sanctions currently in force against Russia".

In another diplomatic push, Corriere del Ticino reported Pope Leo XIV urging Russia and Ukraine to find the courage for direct talks, saying, "Let the clamor of weapons cease and the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage for sincere, direct and respectful dialogue."