Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks May Resume in Istanbul

Moscow, July 23 — A Russian delegation has left for Istanbul for a possible third round of peace talks with Ukraine, which could begin as early as Wednesday evening, according to Russian media reports.

The Russian team is led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, while Ukraine’s delegation is headed by Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council. Umerov, formerly Ukraine’s Defence Minister, also led the delegation in the earlier rounds.

The first two rounds of talks took place in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2. While those meetings led to prisoner exchanges, they made little progress on a ceasefire or long-term peace agreement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently urged negotiators to move faster. “The momentum of the negotiations must be stepped up,” he said. “Everything should be done to achieve a ceasefire.”

However, the Kremlin has lowered expectations for this upcoming round. Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that any breakthrough is “hardly possible” at this stage. He stressed that Russia will continue to “pursue and protect its interests,” and that much work is still needed as the two countries hold “opposite views” on ending the conflict.

Following the last talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the peace proposals from both sides were “completely contradictory.” Russia demands Ukraine remain neutral, avoid joining military alliances, and recognize Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson as Russian territories.

Ukraine, however, rejects this. Its memorandum says the country has the right to join the European Union and NATO if the alliances agree.

Meanwhile, President Zelensky said last week that Ukraine plans to boost local weapons production to meet 50% of its military needs within six months. He also revealed Ukraine has developed long-range drones capable of reaching deep into Russian territory.

As tensions remain high, both sides are preparing for tough talks, though the path to peace still seems distant.