US-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Geneva ended without a major breakthrough on Wednesday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying no agreement had been reached on the thorniest questions.
Speaking to reporters after the talks, Zelenskyy acknowledged that some groundwork had been done but said positions still differed. “The negotiations were not easy,” he said, according to the AFP news agency.
The Ukrainian leader identified the fate of occupied territories in eastern Ukraine and the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – which Russia has taken control of – as unresolved “sensitive” issues. He accused Moscow of “trying to drag out” the process.
In related developments, Ukraine sanctioned Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for providing military support to Russia and enabling “the killing of Ukrainians”. Meanwhile, Slovakia threatened to cut emergency electricity supplies to Kyiv if it does not reopen a pipeline bringing Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary, with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico declaring a state of emergency.
Elsewhere, five European countries accused Russia of poisoning opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a dart frog poison, and Ukraine’s sports minister criticised a decision allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags at next month’s Winter Paralympics, saying Ukraine officials will not attend the opening ceremony or other official events.
