Ukraine and Russia Peace Talks End with Little Progress Made

What Happened?

A fresh round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine made little progress towards finding a way to bring the four-year long war to a close.

After concluding the most recent negotiations, both sides agreed to reconvene for another set of discussions beginning on February 27^th. The trilateral meetings in Geneva were being held between Ukrainian, Russian, and American representatives, including U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. 

While the negotiations were being held, both Ukrainian and Russian forces continued to engage each other in combat in the easternmost portions of Ukraine. The front lines have moved little in the last year, despite considerable loss of life and expenditure of resources.

Why it Matters

The four-year long war between Russia and Ukraine has now lasted longer than the Soviet Union’s war against Nazi Germany in World War II. For Russians, the milestone is significant because World War II is known to Russians as the Great Patriotic War, which was won by allied forces in 1945.

Nazi forces attacked Russia in June of 1941, but by 1945, Soviet forces had entered Berlin. During that same amount of time, Russian ground forces in Ukraine have made little forward progress.

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Russia and Ukraine both face war-weary populations, but the civilian population of Ukraine has suffered far more than their counterparts in Russia. Russian forces have been targeting Ukraine’s power grid, which has left millions of Ukrainians without electrical power or with only sporadic power during the coldest months of winter. The constant drone and missile strikes, in addition to power outages, has made life difficult for Ukrainian civilians.

But despite the hardships, Ukraine has refused to surrender, and Ukrainian forces continue to put up a strong fight against Russia. During the past two weeks, Ukrainian forces have retaken several hundred square kilometers of territory, though whether they can hold it permanently is in doubt. Russian and Ukrainian sides have traded control of territory several times since 2022, only to see their gains erased as control passes from one side to the other.

While the most recent round of negotiations did not achieve any diplomatic breakthroughs, Russian and Ukrainian military commanders did manage to work out a rough framework for how they would implement a ceasefire when and if that order comes. With so many forces engaged along such a broad front, the process of disentangling troops from each other will be complex and fraught with danger.

How it Affects You

The core issues at the heart of the four-year-long conflict remain mostly unresolved, namely, who will permanently control eastern Ukraine. With both sides claiming control of the same territory, the fighting is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Many Russians are also tired of the war, but Russian President Putin has shown little interest in bringing hostilities to an end. Until one side is willing to give up control of land, the next round of negotiations is unlikely to result in a permanent peace treaty.

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