US special envoy Steve Witkoff said talks between Ukraine and Russia had "made significant progress" towards ending the war, as both sides prepared for a second day of negotiations in Geneva on Wednesday.
"President Trump's success in uniting both sides of this war has brought significant progress, and we are proud to work under his leadership to stop the killing in this horrific conflict," Witkoff wrote in X.
Hopes for progress during the talks are slim, as the Kremlin has not wavered from its maximalist demands for Ukrainian territory, the Telegraph reports.
US President Donald Trump recently suggested that it is up to Ukraine to ensure that the talks in Switzerland are successful, without mentioning Russia.
Zelensky has repeatedly said that his country is being asked to make disproportionate compromises compared to Russia.
Russia occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine, including large parts of the eastern Donbas region. The Kremlin wants Ukraine to hand over the rest of the region, which Ukraine has ruled out.
Ukraine says strong security guarantees from the West - including the US - must come before any deal with Russia can be reached.
Zelensky told the website Axios on Tuesday that it was "not fair" for Trump to continue calling on Ukraine to broker a deal, adding that lasting peace would not be achieved if "victory" was simply given to Russia.
"I hope it's just his tactics and not his decision," Zelensky said.
In a statement on social media on Tuesday evening, Ukrainian chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said the first day of talks focused on "practical issues and the mechanics of possible solutions."
In his video address shortly afterwards, Zelensky said that Ukraine was ready to refrain from carrying out attacks, as the US proposed to both Kiev and Moscow.
"We don't need war," he said, stressing that Ukrainians are "defending our state, our independence."
"We are also ready to move quickly towards a decent agreement to end the war. The question is only for the Russians: What do they want," he added.
The talks are the third round of trilateral negotiations. Russia's state-run RIA news agency quoted a source as saying Tuesday's negotiations, which lasted six hours, had been tense and took place in various bilateral and trilateral formats.
The talks are being mediated by Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the US president's son-in-law.
On the Russian side, President Vladimir Putin's aide, Vladimir Medinsky, is the lead negotiator.
The negotiations are taking place a week before the fourth anniversary of Moscow's full occupation of Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry said 43 Ukrainian drones were shot down over several Russian regions and Crimea overnight Wednesday.
The night before, Russia carried out a major combined air strike on Ukraine, hitting 12 regions with 400 drones and nearly 30 missiles. At least three people were killed, Ukrainian officials said. /Telegraph/
