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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that a new round of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia will take place on Wednesday in Turkey, following two previous meetings in Istanbul that yielded little progress in ending the ongoing war.
In his nightly address on Monday, Zelensky stated: “Today, I spoke with National Security and Defence Council chief Rustem Umerov about the preparations for the exchange and the upcoming meeting with the Russian delegation in Turkey. Umerov confirmed that the meeting is planned for Wednesday.” Zelensky added that further information would be provided on Tuesday.
The two sides last met in Istanbul on 16 May and 2 June under pressure from the United States to agree to a ceasefire. Despite the efforts of US President Donald Trump to broker a deal, the discussions ended without tangible results.
So far, both governments have only managed to reach agreements on prisoner exchanges. In the meantime, Russia has intensified its aerial bombardments on Ukrainian territory and made advances along the frontlines.
Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine relinquish control over four occupied regions, in addition to Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. It is also insisting that Kyiv abandon its aspirations to join NATO — conditions Ukraine firmly refuses to accept.
Ukrainian officials have questioned Russia’s sincerity regarding a ceasefire and have indicated that there is still little sign the Kremlin is serious about ending hostilities through dialogue.
However, following renewed pressure from President Trump—who last week gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to reach an agreement or face harsh sanctions, while also restarting military aid to Ukraine — the Russian government expressed willingness to return to the negotiating table.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, addressing reporters on Monday, acknowledged the complexity of the situation: “A great deal of diplomatic effort lies ahead,” he said, underlining that substantial differences still exist despite the resumption of talks.
