Geneva: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that the upcoming round of trilateral peace talks involving Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington will once again take place in Switzerland. The country recently hosted a significant round of negotiations over two days, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to Anadolu Agency, Zelenskyy, during an interview with Piers Morgan published late Wednesday, emphasized the importance of the recent talks in Switzerland. He highlighted that the discussions were crucial in making the ongoing war in Europe more apparent to the international community, a reality he believes is not universally acknowledged.
The third round of trilateral discussions, which took place on February 17-18 in Geneva, followed two earlier rounds in Abu Dhabi on January 23-24 and February 4-5. The latter resulted in the first prisoner exchange between Moscow and Kyiv since October of the previous year. Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky indicated that another meeting in this format is expected ‘very soon.’
Zelenskyy mentioned that Ukraine’s negotiating team, led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, would return to Kyiv and provide a more comprehensive briefing than before. He noted that while progress on the military front has been achieved, political negotiations remain challenging due to differing positions among the three involved parties.
The Ukrainian president also underlined the necessity of Europe’s involvement in discussions concerning a post-ceasefire monitoring mission. He affirmed that European representatives should participate in these discussions to ensure the effectiveness of any future agreements.
Zelenskyy reiterated the critical need for strong security guarantees to prevent the resurgence of conflict. He expressed skepticism about resolving territorial issues through negotiations alone and emphasized the importance of leadership-level discussions to address sensitive and complex territorial disputes.
In addition, Zelenskyy mentioned that the US, alongside potential participation from some European nations, is considering a ‘new document’ between NATO and Russia. He insisted that Ukraine must be included in these discussions to ensure comprehensive and inclusive outcomes.