Ukrainian and European officials expressed cautious optimism that the US was shifting its stance to increasingly favor Kyiv in contested peace talks with Moscow.
Analysts had expressed worry that Washington was demanding little of Russia while extracting concessions mostly from Ukraine, as has been typical of fitful negotiations since US President Donald Trump came to office to end the nearly four-year war.
Talks between European, Ukrainian, and American officials in Geneva were “light on specifics but left [European] officials feeling more upbeat about the prospects for peace,” Politico reported, while Ukraine’s negotiator hailed “very good progress.” Still, a degree of unpredictability remains: Prior to the talks, Trump slammed Ukraine’s leader for expressing “ZERO GRATITUDE” for American efforts.