What do Russia and Ukraine want in the Geneva talks?

According to Isna, while next week will be the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine, the delegation of this country left for Geneva a few minutes ago to continue another round of negotiations with Russia with the mediation of the United States. A country whose delegation will leave Moscow for Geneva on Monday evening, according to Sergei Ryabkov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

Some English-language media refer to the “lack of significant progress” in the Geneva meeting; Because both sides seem to stick to their negotiating positions on key issues; Of course, this is while the United States has set a deadline for June to reach an agreement.

The English-language section of “Al Jazeera” reported: “The future of the Ukrainian territory, a part of which Russia has taken under its control, remains a major issue.”

“This time we intend to discuss a wider set of issues and we want to focus on key issues related to land and other demands,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier, referring to the Ukrainian peace talks.

Kirill Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, who was formerly the head of the country’s military intelligence department, wrote on the Telegram channel on Monday: “On the way to Geneva!” The next round of negotiations is ahead. “Along the way, we will discuss the lessons of our history with our colleagues and seek the right conclusions.”

The Geneva talks will be held after two rounds of US-mediated talks in January and early February in the UAE.

The January meeting was the first direct and public talks between Moscow and Kyiv on a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration to end the war in Ukraine.

Both Russia and Ukraine called the rounds of talks “constructive”, but failed to achieve any breakthroughs.

It is not yet clear which American officials will be present in Geneva. In the recent negotiations in Abu Dhabi, US President’s Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner were the representatives of the United States.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi expressed hope for the trilateral talks in Geneva on Sunday, saying: “To be honest, sometimes it feels like the parties are talking about completely different things. “Americans often refer to the issue of territorial concessions, and often these concessions are discussed only in the context of Ukraine, not Russia.”

Among the most controversial issues at the Geneva talks will be the long-term fate of the eastern region of Ukraine, large parts of which are controlled by Russia.

As a condition of any deal, Moscow has demanded the withdrawal of Kiev forces from the Donbass region, including heavily fortified cities that sit atop vast natural resources. Moscow has also demanded the recognition of the territory it has annexed to its territory.

Kiev also announced that the fighting should stop along the current front lines and rejected the unilateral withdrawal of troops. Ukrainian authorities are also demanding strong security guarantees against possible Russian operations in the future.

Yulia Shapovalova, an Al Jazeera reporter from Moscow, said: “People in the Russian capital do not seem to be very enthusiastic about negotiations. The general public does not take the next round very seriously; Because the other party did not answer many questions in the first two rounds of negotiations.

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