Russia and Ukraine are set to hold new peace talks on Wednesday, following two
previous rounds in Istanbul that made little progress, President Volodymyr Zelensky
announced.
Zelensky said he had discussed preparations for the talks with Ukrainian Security
Council chief Rustem Umerov, who confirmed the meeting with Russia is scheduled
for Wednesday.
The rival sides met in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2 under US pressure to agree on a
ceasefire, but no breakthrough was reached. So far, the only agreement has been on
prisoner exchanges.
Despite the talks, Russia has intensified air attacks and seized more territory in
Ukraine. Moscow demands that Ukraine surrender control of four regions, in addition
to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and abandon any plans to join NATO—demands
Ukraine has rejected.
Following US President Donald Trump’s warning of heavy sanctions unless Russia
negotiates a deal within 50 days and renewed arms supplies to Ukraine, the Kremlin
expressed readiness for more talks.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said significant diplomatic work
remains before any breakthrough can be achieved.