At the head table sat the US delegation, with the Russian and Ukrainian delegations on opposite sides.
The political part of the tripartite talks ended on Tuesday evening after just over four hours. Negotiations with military representatives continued for a couple more hours.
“Tomorrow morning the political and military groups will continue their work,” Umyrov announced at 7:30 p.m.
Ahead of the talks, the Russian state-controlled news agency Tass claimed that, among other things, the hotly contested issue of territories was on the agenda.
Instead, Umyrov emphasized the importance of “security and humanitarian issues.”
On-site safety advisor
An Italian government source told AFP that national security advisers from Italy, Germany, France and Britain are also in Geneva, for meetings with delegations from the United States and Ukraine.
Those discussions are taking place outside the more formal main negotiations, according to the source.
Since the last round of talks in Abu Dhabi - which, apart from a prisoner exchange, were fruitless - Russia has changed its negotiator. Intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov has been replaced by President Vladimir Putin's advisor Vladimir Medinsky, an ultra-conservative historian and former culture minister.
Kostyukov is also present in Geneva, but analysts say the change in leadership signals tougher demands from Moscow. According to Finnish broadcaster Yle, Medinsky, who has been involved in several previous rounds of talks, always puts forward maximalist demands on Kyiv.
Ukrainian side unchanged
Ukraine reportedly views the change negatively, which, according to analysts, took place after the shooting of Russian military leader Vladimir Alekseyev in Moscow earlier in February. The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of the attack.
The Ukrainian delegation, as before, consists of chief negotiator Umyrov, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov, MP Davyd Arachamia and Andriy Hnatov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The United States is represented by President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
No decisive compromises appear to be in sight as Russia, Ukraine and the US begin talks in Geneva. Here are the key issues.
Donbass
Russia claims all of Donbass in the east, where Ukraine still defends just over a tenth of the area. Ukraine refuses to recognize occupied land as Russian, but has opened up for discussion about a frozen front line.
Guarantees
Ukraine's European allies promise security guarantees and troop deployments, but American guarantees are seen as crucial to deterring Russia in the long term. The United States has offered guarantees that will last for 15 years, but Ukraine wants them to last at least 20.
Nuclear power plant
Russia occupies Europe's largest nuclear power plant near the front in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. The parties accuse each other of shelling that could cause a meltdown. The US has proposed entering into a shared trusteeship, but to no avail.
