New Peace Talks Between Russia and Ukraine Scheduled Amid Stalled Progress

Revised to include Zelensky’s announcement:

Russia and Ukraine are set to engage in new peace talks on Wednesday, following two earlier rounds in Istanbul that yielded minimal progress toward resolving the conflict, as announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“In my discussion today with [Ukrainian Security Council chief] Rustem Umerov, we reviewed preparations for a prisoner exchange and another meeting in Turkey with the Russian delegation. Umerov informed me that this meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,” Zelensky stated during his daily address on Monday.

However, a confidential source disclosed to Russia’s state news agency TASS that the discussions are expected to take place on Thursday instead.

Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin seemed to verify that arrangements for another negotiation round were in progress, indicating it would update the public once specific dates had been finalized. They also attempted to manage expectations ahead of the talks, stating, “A significant amount of diplomatic work remains ahead.”

On Saturday, Zelensky revealed that Ukraine had suggested a new set of peace negotiations with Moscow for the coming week, underscoring his willingness to meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“A leaders’ meeting is essential to genuinely secure enduring peace,” Zelensky remarked during a nightly address. “Ukraine is open to such an encounter.”

“Discussions with the Russian side regarding prisoner exchanges are ongoing—we are actively working to fulfill the agreements made in the previous Istanbul meeting,” he added. “Our team is currently preparing for another exchange.”

This year, Russia and Ukraine have conducted two rounds of direct peace discussions, the first occurring on May 16 and the second on June 2, both held in Istanbul.

While both parties reached agreements on significant prisoner swaps during these talks, there has yet to be any progress toward establishing a comprehensive ceasefire agreement, much less an end to the full-scale invasion initiated by Putin in February 2022.

The anticipation of a potential third round of peace talks follows a week after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Putin, demanding the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine within 50 days or face new sanctions.