While Moscow confirmed its readiness to participate in a new round of negotiations with the Ukrainian side, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday the next set of peace talks are planned for Wednesday in Istanbul.
“Today, I discussed with (Ukrainian Security Council chief) Rustem Umerov the preparations for the exchange and another meeting in Türkiye with the Russian side. Umerov reported that the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. More details will be available tomorrow,” Zelensky said in his daily address Monday.
Ukraine and Russia have so far held two rounds of talks in Istanbul, on May 16 and June 2, that led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers.
The third meeting will include “technical discussions on a limited range of issues,” several Russian media outlets said quoting sources. The parties are expected to discuss humanitarian aid, prisoner exchanges, infrastructure security, and border protection measures.
Kiev had proposed to Moscow a new round of peace talks this week. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television in a clip published on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to move toward a peace settlement for Ukraine but Moscow's main objective is to achieve its goals.
“The Russian Federation supports a third round of negotiations with Ukraine; as soon as an agreement on the dates is reached, the Kremlin will inform immediately,” Peskov said. The composition of the Russian negotiating team on the Ukrainian resolution has not changed, he noted.
Peskov commented on US President Donald Trump's sometimes “harsh” rhetoric but pointed out that Trump had also underscored in comments on Russia that he would continue to search for a peace deal.
“President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy,” Peskov told state television reporter Pavel Zarubin.
“The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear,” Peskov said.
On Monday, Trump announced a tougher stance on Russia, pledging a new wave of military aid to Ukraine, including Patriot missile defense systems. He also gave Russia a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face additional sanctions.
Peskov did not rule out the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Trump if the Russian and US presidents were both in Beijing at the same time in September.
“You know that we are preparing for a trip to Beijing, our president is preparing for this trip... But we have not heard that President Trump is also going there, to Beijing,” Peskov said when asked if the two leaders could meet, including possibly in a three-way format with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“If it so happens that (Trump) is there, then, of course, we cannot rule out that the question of the expediency of holding a meeting will be raised,” Peskov told reporters.
The new round of talks between Russia and Ukraine comes amid renewed fighting.
Major Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia sowed chaos at major airports serving Moscow on Monday, with thousands of passengers waiting in lines or sleeping on the floor after flights were cancelled or delayed, Russian media reported.
Videos published by Russian media showed people sleeping on the floor of Sheremetyevo, Russia's busiest airport by passenger numbers, amid long queues.
In return, Russia on Monday launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine in an overnight attack, killing two people, wounding 15 and causing multiple fires in several parts of the country.
Russia's defense ministry said it had downed 117 drones overnight, including 30 over the Moscow region.
Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, briefly imposed restrictions on flights overnight at Moscow’s main airports - Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovskiy.
Several thousand people were stranded in the far east of Russia due to the cancellation of flights in European Russia, while extra trains were put on to bring passengers back to Moscow from the northern Russian city of St Petersburg, Russian media said.
Moscow and its surrounding region has a population of at least 21.5 million.
