Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed on Tuesday, 21, his offer to meet Russia President Vladimir Putin, and negotiate the end of the war in Ukraine, but hopes of progress were low as the delegations were preparing to hold another round of negotiations. Russian forces, in turn, bombed four Ukrainian cities in night attacks that, according to authorities, killed a child.
Putin rejected Zelensky’s previous offers to a face to face the conflict. The Ukrainian leader insists that lower level delegations, such as those expected for negotiations in Istanbul on Wednesday, 22, do not have the political weight to stop the fight.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that “a lot of work needs to be done before having a detailed discussion about the possibility of high level meetings,” actually discarding hopes for a summit soon. He did not provide a date for negotiations in Istanbul. Ukrainian and Western authorities accused Kremlin of delaying negotiations so that their larger army captures more Ukrainian land. Russia currently has about 20% of Ukraine.
Zelensky’s announcement on the night of Monday, 20, that negotiations would occur generated little hope of progress. This despite the efforts of President Donald Trump’s government to advance peace efforts, which they have slowly advanced because Putin reluctures in giving in to his demands. Peskov said that “we have no reason to wait for any magical advances, it is hardly possible in the current situation.”
The previous two rounds were held in Istanbul, and reports from Russian media said the Turkish city would probably also host the meeting this time. The negotiations in May and June led to a series of prisoners of war prisoners and fallen soldiers, but did not produce other agreements.
*This content has been translated with the aid of artificial intelligence tools and revised by the Estadão/Broadcast editorial team. Learn more in our AI policy.
