Russia, Ukraine, and the United States held a new round of peace talks in Geneva on Tuesday, lasting for two days. The international community does not hold high hopes for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
The Kremlin previously stated that the focus of these negotiations would be on discussing territorial issues. Vladimir Medinsky, an assistant to the Russian president, led the delegation in the negotiations.
Ukraine was represented by Rustem Umerov, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, who highlighted security and humanitarian issues as key points on the agenda.
US Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who participated in previous Russia-Ukraine talks, were also present in Geneva. On Tuesday morning, they had discussions with Iranian officials as well.
Ahead of the talks, both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of carrying out nighttime airstrikes. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed in a statement that their air defense forces shot down 151 Ukrainian drones overnight, with 79 of them being downed over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The statement further indicated that another 27 Ukrainian drones were shot down between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Moscow time. A fire broke out at the Ilyich Oil Refinery in the southern Krasnodar border region.
The Ukrainian Air Force asserted that their air defense systems shot down 367 out of 396 Russian drones launched and all 25 missiles. The port city of Odessa reported at least two people injured due to Russian airstrikes, with damage to infrastructure and civilian buildings.
In January and earlier this month, the first two rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United States, were held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
During the second round of talks on February 4th and 5th, the two countries agreed to exchange prisoners of war for the first time in five months.