This handout photograph taken and released on Feb. 14 by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service, shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, meeting with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the sidelines of the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich. AFP-Yonhap
GENEVA — Ukrainian and Russian negotiators were to resume a second round of peace talks in Geneva on Wednesday, as Washington's top envoy signalled optimism in its bid to end 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 negotiations between the two sides in Abu Dhabi failed to yield a breakthrough.
But U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, representing the Trump administration at the talks, said President Donald Trump's diplomatic efforts had made strides in Washington's bid to end the conflict.
"President Trump's success in bringing both sides of this war together has brought about meaningful progress," he wrote on X, without elaborating.
"Both parties agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working towards a deal."
The latest talks "lasted six hours" and "were very tense", a source close to the Russian delegation told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky 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.
Source: Korea Times News
