‘Negotiation dynamics must improve’: Zelenskyy seeks fresh Russia talks; urges ceasefire push
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday announced that Kyiv has proposed a fresh round of peace talks with Russia next week aiming to revive efforts toward a ceasefire after previous negotiations broke down in early June. He stated that the dynamics of negotiations must improve and stressed the need to do everything possible to achieve a ceasefire.Speaking during his daily evening address, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council Secretary, Rustem Umerov, has already proposed the next meeting with the Russian side for next week, as reported by CNN.“The dynamics of the negotiations must improve. We need to do everything possible to achieve a ceasefire. The Russian side must stop avoiding decisions regarding prisoner exchanges, the return of children, and the cessation of killings,” Zelenskyy said.“A meeting at the leadership level is essential to genuinely secure peace. Ukraine is ready for such a meeting,” he added.The proposal comes after two previous rounds of talks in Istanbul has failed to achieve any significant progress. While those discussions led to prisoner exchanges and returning the bodies of killed soldiers, no definite steps were taken to stop the conflict. According to Russian state media, Russia had presented strict territorial demands as a condition for a ceasefire. Ukraine has made it clear that it will not accept giving up any of its territory in return for peace.Umerov, a former defence minister of Ukraine, was appointed last week as the new head of the National Security and Defence Council. He has been assigned the responsibility of giving new momentum to the negotiation process and is expected to play an important role in future diplomatic efforts with Moscow, according to The Guardian.Russia has continued a heavy military offensive along the eastern front in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. It has repeatedly stated that it is open to a new round of talks but has not withdrawn its strict war demands.During last month’s discussions, Russia presented a list of tough conditions, including demands for Ukraine to give up more territory and to stop accepting any western military support.Kyiv rejected these demands as unacceptable and questioned the purpose of further negotiations if Moscow was not willing to make compromises.The call for renewed talks also follows recent pressure from the United States. President Donald Trump earlier this month gave Russia a 50-day deadline to reach a peace agreement with Kyiv or face severe economic consequences, including high tariffs on Russian exports and “secondary tariffs” on goods from countries that purchase Russian oil.“We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days,” Trump said during a meeting with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office earlier this week.“I use trade for a lot of things,” Trump added. “But it’s great for settling wars.”The US president also pledged to supply Kyiv with new military aid, sponsored by Nato allies, as its cities suffer ever-increasing Russian aerial attacks.
