Umerov: new round of trilateral talks begins today
National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov has announced the start of a new round of negotiations in Geneva.
"Today we are beginning a new round of talks in a trilateral format — Ukraine, the United States, Russia. We thank the American side for their engagement and consistent work in the negotiation process," Umerov wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.
He also thanked Switzerland for organizing and providing the conditions for the meetings.
"We have a framework approved by the President of Ukraine and a clear mandate. The agenda covers security and humanitarian issues," Umerov said.
He stressed that the work is proceeding constructively, in a focused manner and without excessive expectations.
"Our task is to advance as far as possible those solutions that can bring a lasting peace closer," the NSDC secretary said.
The incumbent OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, after the start of the meeting, declared that Switzerland was providing "a platform for dialogue and de-escalation in support of peace."
"Switzerland invites the US, Russia and Ukraine to Geneva for trilateral talks focused on peace and stability. We provide a platform for dialogue and de-escalation in support of peace. Welcome to Switzerland, welcome to Geneva," he wrote on X.
Late Monday, CNN correspondent Haley Britzky cited her own sources on X as saying that U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with U.S. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Alex Grynkewich, had already arrived in Geneva with the U.S. delegation.
"Secretary Driscoll, as part of the team led by Special Envoy Witkoff and Mr. Kushner, arrived in Geneva today for trilateral negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. We remain optimistic and look forward to resolving the conflict," she quoted an unnamed senior U.S. official as saying.
As reported, the Ukrainian delegation has been in Geneva and preparing for the talks since Monday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Monday evening.
"We will soon be marking a year of the most active diplomacy Ukraine has pursued. We have agreed to all realistic American proposals, starting with the proposal for a ceasefire — unconditional and lasting. Russia rejects it, continues assaults on the front and strikes on our cities and energy infrastructure," the president said.
He added that Ukraine expects its partners to take action to compel the aggressor to make peace.
The previous trilateral talks were held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on February 4-5. Following those talks, Zelenskyy told reporters that the Americans had proposed repeating the so-called "energy truce" at the meeting, Ukraine had supported the proposal, but the Russian side promised to return to the issue.
