GENEVA — Ukraine's lead negotiator Rustem Umerov insisted there was "progress" in US-mediated talks with Russia towards ending the near four-year war, after a two-day meeting in Geneva wrapped up Wednesday.

 

The talks ended well before lunchtime, much shorter than the six hours of meetings on Tuesday.

 

Umerov said the talks were "intensive and substantive", in a brief statement to reporters.

 

"Both political and military tracks were engaged; security parameters and mechanisms for implementing possible decisions were discussed."

 

He said a number of issues had been clarified, while others needed further coordination.

 

"We are focused on working through the key provisions required to finalise the process. This is complex work that requires alignment among all parties and sufficient time," said Umerov.

 

"There is progress but no details can be disclosed at this stage."

 

He said the next step was to try to reach a level of consensus to "submit the developed decisions for consideration by the presidents", adding that this would need not just a formal foundation but a practical one.

 

"Ukraine remains constructive. The ultimate objective is unchanged: the just and sustainable peace," Umerov said.

 

Meanwhile, US envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday that talks between Ukraine and Russia had "brought about meaningful progress" in the Washington-led drive to end the war in Ukraine, as both sides were set to begin a second day of negotiations in Geneva.

 

"President Trump's success in bringing both sides of this war together has brought about meaningful progress, and we are proud to work under his leadership to stop the killing in this terrible conflict. Both parties agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working towards a deal," he wrote on X.

 

Ukrainian and Russian negotiators were to resume a second round of US-mediated peace talks in Geneva on Wednesday, though neither side signalled they were any closer to ending Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.

 

The talks are the latest diplomatic bid to halt the fighting which has killed hundreds of thousands, forced millions to flee and decimated much of eastern and southern Ukraine.

 

The United States has been pushing for an end to the nearly four-year war, but has failed to broker a compromise between Moscow and Kyiv on the key issue of territory.

 

Two previous rounds of negotiation between the two sides in Abu Dhabi failed to yield a breakthrough.

 

The latest talks "were very tense", a source close to the Russian delegation told AFP.

 

"They lasted six hours. They have now concluded," the source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

 

Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky said in his evening address he was ready "to move quickly towards a worthy agreement to end the war", but questioned whether Russia was serious about peace.

 

"What do they want?" he added, accusing them of prioritising missile strikes over "real diplomacy".

 

Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022, with the ensuing conflict resulting in a tidal wave of destruction that has left entire cities in ruins.

 

Breakthrough hopes low

 

For the Geneva talks, the Kremlin reinstated nationalist hawk and former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky as its lead negotiator.

 

Ukrainian national security secretaryRustemUmerov was leading Kyiv's side and said negotiations would continue Wednesday.

 

He thanked Washington for its mediation and said he informed European allies of the outcomes from the first round of talks, which he said had focused on "practical issues and the mechanics of possible solutions" to the conflict.

 

"I have concluded a separate meeting with representatives of the United States and European partners -- France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland," he wrote on Telegram.

 

"We discussed the results of today's round of negotiations and aligned our approaches on further steps."

 

Zelensky has repeatedly said his country is being asked to make disproportionate compromises compared to Russia.

 

US President Donald Trump put pressure on Ukraine on Monday to make a deal, saying they "better come to the table, fast".

 

Zelensky told Axios on Tuesday it was "not fair" that Trump kept calling on Ukraine to broker a deal, adding that lasting peace would not be achieved if "victory" was just handed to Russia.

 

"I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision," Zelensky said.

 

Hopes for a breakthrough remain low.

 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had told journalists to expect no major news from the first day of talks.