Zelensky confirms fresh negotiations as Moscow tempers expectations; talks come amid escalating attacks and U.S. pressure for a ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that a new round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia will take place in Istanbul this week, in what could be a pivotal diplomatic moment amid rising battlefield tensions and mounting international pressure.
“Today, I discussed with [Ukrainian Security Council chief] Rustem Umerov the preparations for a prisoner exchange and another meeting in Turkey with the Russian side,” Zelensky said in his Monday evening address. “Umerov reported that the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.”
The talks follow renewed efforts by Kyiv to find a diplomatic off-ramp, and come just days after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a sharp ultimatum to Moscow—warning of “severe” sanctions if a ceasefire is not achieved within 50 days.
Despite the announcement, the Kremlin quickly downplayed hopes for progress. “We don’t expect a miraculous breakthrough,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. “We intend to pursue our interests and fulfil the tasks we set from the beginning.”
While Ukraine is pushing for a ceasefire, both nations remain deeply divided on the terms for ending the war, which entered its fourth year this spring. Previous rounds of direct negotiations held in Istanbul in May and June ended without substantive results.
Russian state media reported that the new talks may extend over two days, on Thursday and Friday, at the same venue used in past negotiations. A Turkish government official confirmed the location but declined to offer further details.
Escalation on the Ground
The diplomatic push comes as the conflict on the ground intensifies. Ukrainian officials said a Russian glide bomb hit an apartment building in Kramatorsk overnight, killing a child. In Kyiv, six areas of the capital were targeted in a coordinated drone and missile barrage.
Ukraine’s military also reported repelling more than 50 Russian attacks in the eastern Pokrovsk region, where Moscow has concentrated its offensive efforts. Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russian sabotage units had attempted to breach the city’s defenses.
Meanwhile, Washington pledged new weapons shipments to Kyiv to help counter Russia’s escalating assaults.
Prisoners and Presidential Pressure
The Istanbul talks are expected to focus initially on prisoner exchanges, according to a senior Ukrainian official. The possibility of a future face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin has also been floated but remains uncertain.
U.S. President Trump, in an interview with the BBC, said he was “disappointed” in Putin but added he was “not done” engaging with the Russian leader.
Despite the renewed push, expectations remain low. “The two sides are diametrically opposed,” Peskov said. “A lot of diplomatic work lies ahead.”
Still, as both battlefield and civilian casualties mount—particularly from intensified Russian airstrikes—momentum for a negotiated settlement continues to build, however slowly.