Russian delegation calls Geneva talks "very tense"

AFP, citing a source close to the Russian delegation, has reported that the first round of talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia on 17 February in Geneva was "very tense".

AFP noted that the Geneva talks represent an attempt by the US administration under President Donald Trump to end the Russo-Ukrainian war, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and caused devastation across Ukrainian territory.

Two previous rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi had failed to produce a breakthrough.

A source close to the Russian delegation said that the latest talks had taken place in a very tense atmosphere.

The negotiations lasted six hours, the source said.

Rustem Umierov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine and head of the Ukrainian delegation, said the talks focused on practical issues and the mechanics of possible solutions.

He added that the teams had continued their work in groups by area after the joint session.

Meanwhile, Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported that the Geneva talks had "got stuck", adding that the reason was the positions presented by Russia's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky.