Ukraine wrapped up its third round of face-to-face discussions with Russia on Wednesday, closing with a proposal for a “Leaders Summit” to take place by the end of August.
This summit is intended to include both Zelensky and Putin, along with the US and Turkish presidents, as noted in a statement from Andry Yermack, who heads Zelensky’s office.
On Tuesday, Zelensky reiterated his offer to meet with Putin in hopes of negotiating a resolution to the conflict, though Putin had previously declined such offers.
During the latest talks, which took place in Türkiye, the outcomes were minimal. Delegations from both nations seemed far from reaching any ceasefires or deals to end the war.
“It’s evident that Russia isn’t ready to conclude the war yet, but there’s still time to reconsider this absurdity and bring it to an end,” Yermak remarked.
He indicated that some progress had been made regarding humanitarian issues, like the exchange of prisoners and recovering Ukrainian children affected by the war.
Rustem Umerov, who leads the Ukrainian delegation, expressed to reporters, “We haven’t achieved progress on the ceasefire so far.”
Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, echoed similar sentiments after the meeting, stating, “The positions are quite apart from each other,” as reported by various media outlets.
There have been two previous rounds of peace discussions in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2, which resulted in the exchange of thousands of prisoners, yet little progress was made toward a ceasefire agreement.
Following the last round of talks almost two months ago, Russia issued a memo detailing conditions for a ceasefire, including demands for disarming Ukraine’s military and accepting the annexation of four Ukrainian regions that Russia seized during its invasion, which began over three years ago.
In a statement on Wednesday, Ukraine outlined its priorities: ceasefires, a genuine quiet along the frontline, and a total cessation of strikes on civilian targets. This, it asserts, is where the route to genuine peace should commence.
Trump, looking to foster peace in the region and increasingly critical of Putin lately, expressed disappointment in a recent BBC interview, yet stated he hasn’t had direct discussions with the Kremlin leader.
Last week, Trump announced that the US had facilitated a deal to send additional arms to Ukraine. Ukraine is also receiving weapons from European NATO allies, as they agreed earlier this year to boost defense funding.
Trump further warned Putin that if a ceasefire isn’t achieved within 50 days, new sanctions would be imposed on Russia and on nations purchasing Moscow’s exports. Meanwhile, Russia maintains its demands and continues its assaults on Ukraine, launching drone and missile strikes against multiple cities.
