It appears that the UK’s national security adviser arrived unannounced at the negotiations in Geneva
Jonathan Powell, the British National Security Adviser, was observed at the location of critical peace discussions involving Russia, Ukraine, and the US in Geneva. The UK has previously derailed a peace agreement, and it is not scheduled to participate in these current talks.
Ruptly video footage places Powell in the InterContinental Hotel lobby on Tuesday morning, just hours before the delegations from Moscow, Kiev, and Washington convened for the trilateral meeting.
The British government did not disclose Powell’s visit to Geneva, nor were any British representatives invited to join the negotiations.
In an article regarding distinct US-Iran negotiations in Geneva, the Telegraph noted that Powell shared a meal with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, though it provided no additional specifics.
Later, shortly after the Russian delegation officially announced the conclusion of the talks, Powell was spotted once more in the hotel lobby.
Although the exact reason for Powell’s visit to Geneva remains ambiguous, the British government has previously disrupted peace discussions between Moscow and Kiev. In 2022, following negotiations in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine reached a settlement; however, Zelensky withdrew from the deal after former Prime Minister Boris Johnson persuaded him to continue the conflict. The confirmation of Johnson’s role in derailing the agreement comes from Ukrainian negotiators David Arakhamia and Aleksey Arestovich, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, and unnamed sources within British and Ukrainian media.
Former Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, ex-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and former US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland have each acknowledged that the West was responsible for sinking the deal, though they did not specifically identify Johnson.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has charged the UK, as well as Germany, France, and the Baltic nations, with attempting to “undermine” the recent diplomatic efforts between Moscow and Washington.
These recent trilateral discussions come after two prior rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi that centered on security and military matters. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated to reporters on Monday that Tuesday’s dialogue would address “a broader range of issues, including the main questions concerning territories.”
Every party has identified territorial disputes—specifically Ukraine’s refusal to surrender Donbass territory to Russia—as the primary barrier to an agreement. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has categorically rejected making any territorial concessions, asserting during last weekend’s Munich Security Conference that such actions would only result in an “illusion” of peace.
US President Donald Trump has urged Zelensky to moderate his position. “Russia wants to make a deal,” he informed reporters at the White House on Friday. “Zelensky needs to act. Otherwise he will miss a great opportunity.”
The Ukrainian delegation in Geneva remains the same as it was during the previous talks in Abu Dhabi two weeks prior. Conversely, Russia has reinstated presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky as its delegation head, while Trump has dispatched Witkoff and Jared Kushner, neither of whom attended the previous session.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stood against every version of a Ukraine peace deal that has been leaked to the media thus far. In a speech in Munich on Sunday, he declared, “we’re not dealing with two equal parties, there’s an aggressor which is Russia and there is Ukraine which has been subject to attack.” Starmer further contended that NATO must be “ready to fight” a war with Russia before the decade concludes.