US special envoy Steve Witkoff said talks between Ukraine and Russia had "made significant progress" towards ending the war, as both sides prepared for a second day of talks in Geneva on Wednesday.
However, hopes for a breakthrough remain low, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was "unfair" that US President Donald Trump constantly asked his country to make compromises, adding that "peace will not be achieved if victory is left to Russia," writes the BBC.
US President Donald Trump recently suggested that it was up to Ukraine to ensure the success of the negotiations in Switzerland, without mentioning Russia.
The Kremlin has not given up on its maximalist demands regarding Ukrainian territory.
"President Trump's success in bringing together both sides of this war has brought significant progress, and we are proud to work under his leadership to stop the killing in this terrible conflict," Witkoff wrote on the X network after the first day of talks.
Zelensky has repeatedly said that his country is being asked to make disproportionate compromises compared to Russia.
Russia controls about 20 percent of Ukraine's territory, including large parts of the eastern Donbas region. The Kremlin wants Ukraine to hand over the rest of the region, a demand Kiev has rejected.
Ukraine says that solid security guarantees from the West – including the US – must precede any agreement with Russia.
Zelensky told the website Axios on Tuesday that it was "not fair" that Trump was constantly urging Ukraine to reach a deal, adding: "I hope this is just his tactic, not a decision."
In a statement on social media on Tuesday evening, Ukraine's chief negotiator Umerov said the first day of talks focused on "practical issues and mechanisms of possible solutions."
In a video address shortly afterwards, Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to refrain from carrying out the attack, as the US had suggested to both Kiev and Moscow, according to the BBC.
"We don't need war," he said, emphasizing that Ukrainians are "defending their state, their independence."
"We are also ready to move quickly towards a dignified agreement to end the war. The question is only for the Russians: What do they want?"
These talks represent the third round of trilateral negotiations.
Russian state news agency RIA, citing a source, said Tuesday's talks, which lasted six hours, were tense and were conducted in various bilateral and trilateral formats.
The talks are being mediated by Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the US President.
On the Russian side, President Vladimir Putin's aide, Vladimir Medinsky, is the chief negotiator.
The talks are taking place a week before the fourth anniversary of the start of the all-out Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that 43 Ukrainian drones were shot down over several Russian regions and Crimea overnight on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 126 attack drones into Ukraine overnight, adding that preliminary data showed 100 were shot down before they reached their target.
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