Zelenskyy update proposes meeting Putin as the latest peace negotiation loom – country
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed his proposal on Tuesday to call for a meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and negotiate an end to the Ukrainian war, but hopes for progress are low as the delegation prepares for another round of negotiations.
Meanwhile, Russian troops slammed four Ukrainian cities in a night attack, which officials said killed a child.
Putin rejected Zelenskyy’s previous proposal for face-to-face meetings to end the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. But Ukrainian leaders insist that low-level delegations like the talks held in Istanbul on Wednesday have no political struggle to stop the fight. Both sides maintain long distances in how to end the war that began on February 24, 2022.
“Ukraine never wanted this war, Russia must end the war itself,” Zelenskyy said in a telegram post.
Kremlin wet people want Istanbul talk
“A lot of work needs to be done before a detailed discussion of the possibility of a high-level meeting,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, effectively canceling the hope of the summit. He did not provide dates for Istanbul talks.
Ukrainian and Western officials accused the Kremlin of stagnating during negotiations to allow its larger army to occupy more Ukrainian land. Currently, Russia accounts for about 20% of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy announced late Monday that the negotiations would generate hope for any progress. Despite the Trump administration’s efforts to promote peace efforts, this has continued to develop slowly because Putin is reluctant to seek help from his request.
“We have no reason to expect any magical breakthrough, which is almost impossible under the current circumstances,” Peskov said.
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The first two rounds were held in Istanbul, and Russian media reported that Turkish cities may also hold meetings this time. The May and June talks led to a series of exchanges of corpses of prisoners of war and fallen soldiers, but no other agreement was reached.
More prisoners hold talks on the agenda
Meanwhile, Russia is working hard to break through in the eastern and northeast corners of the 1,000km (620mph) front. It also fired drones 700 times a night in Ukrainian cities.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine hopes to ensure more prisoners are released from Russian captivity during the next talks in Istanbul, and Ukraine’s return to Ukraine said it was kidnapped.
The Ukrainian delegation will be led by former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who is now secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Commission. Zelenskyy said it will include representatives from Ukrainian intelligence, foreign ministry and the president’s office.
“The problem of Ukrainian settlements is so complicated that even an agreement has been successful on exchanges of prisoners or return of bodies,” Peskov said.
Russia uses drone to attack Ukrainian cities, gliding bombs
Russian troops attacked four Ukrainian cities in three regions in an overnight attack, killing one child and injuring at least 41 other people, officials said. On Monday night, Russia attacked the Sumi region of Ukraine in the northeast from dusk, southern and eastern Kramatortsk.
According to the head of Oleksandr Honcharenko, the city’s military administration department, in Kramatorsk, a gliding bomb attacked an apartment building and caught fire. Local officials said a boy born in 2015 was killed without giving him his exact age. Five other people were reportedly injured.
According to regional military government reports, Sumi area has been attacked several times. It said a drone hit a gas station in Putville town and injured four people, including a five-year-old boy. Less than two hours later, a second drone strike hit the same site, injuring seven other people.
After dark, two powerful Russian gliding bombs were dropped in Sumi City, 13 of whom were injured, including a 6-year-old boy. According to regional authorities, five apartment buildings, two private houses and a shopping mall were damaged in the attack. Acting Mayor Artem Kobzar said the explosion shattered windows and destroyed the balcony in residential buildings.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that air defense personnel lowered 35 Ukrainian long-range drones in several regions overnight, including three in the Moscow region.
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