Trump-Led Peace Talks Fail as Valerii Zaluzhnyi Leads Zelensky in Polls

Peace negotiations in Geneva between Ukraine and Russia ended without a breakthrough following mediation by the Donald Trump administration and representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Volodymyr Zelensky accused Vladimir Putin of intentionally stalling the process as the Russian delegation maintained demands for 20 percent of Ukrainian territory during the two-day session. Internal political tensions in Kyiv have intensified after former commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi revealed past disputes with the president and began leading in recent popularity polls with 23 percent support. Ukrainian forces recently reclaimed 201 square kilometers near Huliaipole despite the diplomatic stagnation and reported pressure from the USA for Kyiv to accept territorial concessions.