The trilateral meetings, held in Geneva, went on late on Tuesday but only lasted two hours on Wednesday.  Although US envoy Steve Witkoff had expressed optimism over the talks, both the chief Russian negotiator and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky indicated they had been "difficult". After the main talks concluded, Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky returned to the venue and held a closed-door meeting with the Ukrainian side for about an hour and a half. No details from that meeting have emerged.

Some progress was made on "military issues", including the location of the front line and ceasefire monitoring, according to a Ukrainian diplomatic source. But an agreement on the issue of territory - without which no ceasefire can be envisaged - remains elusive, with Moscow and Kyiv's positions still far apart. Russia has not budged in its demand for full control of the eastern Donbas region - made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions - which is a non-starter for Ukraine. While conceding talks were challenging, Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky added that they had been "businesslike" and said another meeting would take place "soon". Zelensky also described the negotiations as "not easy" due to the difference in the two sides' positions. Rustem Umerov cut a less downbeat tone, saying the discussions had been "substantive and intensive" and that while there had been progress, no details could be disclosed "at this stage". "This is complex work that requires alignment among all parties and sufficient time," Umerov said. Shortly before the end of the talks was announced, Zelensky accused Russia of "trying to drag out negotiations that could already have reached the final stage". (BBC)