Volodmyr Zelenskyy has announced that Ukraine has proposed new ceasefire talks with Russia for next week. The Ukrainian president stated that his government is working on implementing agreements reached during the previous set of talks held in Istanbul. These talks marked the second round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine within a short span of two weeks. Zelenskyy mentioned that discussions regarding prisoner of war swaps, agreed upon during the most recent talks, are ongoing. However, despite these agreements, there has been no progress towards ending the conflict, according to officials.
To provide more content related to this topic, please find the audio podcast “The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim” available on your preferred podcast app. Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s negotiation team, has suggested holding the third round of direct peace talks next week. Zelenskyy emphasized the need to intensify negotiation dynamics and insisted that all possible measures be taken to achieve a cessation of warfare. He stated that a meeting at the leaders’ level is necessary to secure a lasting peace.
In addition to the ongoing negotiations, a Russian drone strike occurred in Odesa. This incident resulted in the loss of one life and injuries to six people, including a child. The Ukrainian president mentioned that over 300 drones and more than 30 cruise missiles were launched by Russia as part of the attack. This recent series of long-range attacks comes after Russia deployed more than 700 drones on July 8, setting a new record. The escalating bombing campaign has diminished hopes for an immediate breakthrough in peace talks, which have been ongoing for over three years.
Moscow’s defense ministry reported that they successfully intercepted 71 Ukrainian drones overnight. Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, stated that 13 drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital.
Source: https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-proposes-renewed-peace-talks-as-zelenskyy-urges-russia-to-stop-avoiding-decisions-13399007
