Ukraine proposes third round of peace talks with Russia for next week

Kyiv has proposed a third round of peace negotiations to go ahead as soon as next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed in his evening address to the nation on Saturday.

“The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council [Rustem] Umerov told me that he has offered the Russian side another meeting next week. We need to step up the speed of negotiations and do everything we can to bring about a ceasefire. ... We need a meeting between leaders to really ensure peace,” Zelensky said.

Meanwhile, Russia’s state-owned news agency TASS reported on Saturday that no date had yet been set for the next round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, though quoted a source who said that was currently being agreed upon.

Vladimir Putin said in June that the parties planned to discuss Russian and Ukrainian memorandums at any third round of negotiations, adding that while the two framework documents left the sides diametrically opposed, ongoing contact between Moscow and Kyiv was a step towards rapprochement.

The first round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine took place on 16 May, while the second round, also held in Istanbul, went ahead on 2 June. Neither set of talks brought about a breakthrough. The proposal for a third round of talks comes amid the ongoing aerial Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities, as Moscow seeks to make further territorial gains before coming to the peace table.