Russia Zelenskyi proposes new peace negotiations to Moscow
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi wants to get the recently stalled negotiations with Russia on a ceasefire back on track. The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umyerov, has proposed a meeting with Moscow next week, Zelensky announced in a video message broadcast in Kiev. Ukraine is ready for a meeting at leadership level. Selensky did not give an exact date.
20.07.2025, 08:23
SDA
The Russian news agency Tass reported that a source close to the Russian negotiating team had confirmed that they had received Kiev's proposal for a meeting. Russia had recently repeatedly declared its willingness to continue the talks in Istanbul that began in the spring. The last round ended quickly at the beginning of June after the Russian and Ukrainian delegates broke off their meeting after just under an hour. Moscow had originally expected a new round of negotiations in the second half of June.
Selenskyj: Do everything to achieve a ceasefire
Selenskyj said that a new exchange of prisoners was also planned. The warring parties had agreed on this during their first round of negotiations. The Ukrainian president had called on Umjerov, who most recently led the talks as defense minister, to increase the momentum of the negotiations. Everything must be done to achieve a ceasefire, he said. "Ukraine is ready for such a meeting."
Only on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had welcomed Zelensky's statement that the negotiation process needed more momentum. "That is a positive signal. And here we are in absolute agreement: we are also in favor of speeding up the negotiation process," said Peskov.
Ukraine and Russia resumed direct negotiations in Istanbul in the spring for a possible end to Moscow's war of aggression - for the first time since 2022. So far, this has mainly involved humanitarian measures such as the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of soldiers' bodies. However, a full and unconditional ceasefire demanded by Ukraine is not in sight.
Trump has increased the pressure
Russia has been waging a destructive war of aggression against Ukraine for more than three years. Moscow is making maximum demands for an end to the invasion, which Kiev categorically rejects. The Russian conditions include Kiev renouncing its NATO membership and recognizing the territories annexed by Moscow.
At the beginning of the week, US President Donald Trump also increased the pressure on Russia and demanded a ceasefire within 50 days. He threatened Moscow with sanctions and punitive tariffs, including penalties for Russia's trading partners.
Russia reports further drone attacks on Moscow
Meanwhile, Russia reported further Ukrainian drone attacks on the capital Moscow and other regions during the night. A total of 93 drones were shot down, including 19 over the Moscow region, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Around ten regions were affected, primarily the Bryansk and Kursk regions bordering Ukraine. Initially, however, there were no reports of serious damage or casualties.
For safety reasons, air traffic was temporarily suspended at the four Moscow airports Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky, as the Russian news agency Tass reported, citing the Rosaviatsiya aviation authority.
Ukraine had already attacked targets in Russia with drones on Saturday in its defense against Moscow's war of aggression. Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin now reports Ukrainian drone attacks on a daily basis.
Ukraine's attacks on targets in the Russian hinterland are primarily intended to hit the enemy's military supplies. The damage and casualties caused by the Ukrainian attacks are disproportionate to the many dead and injured as well as the severe destruction caused by the Russian attacks.
Ukraine: Eleven abducted children and young people return
Eleven children and young people abducted by Russia during the war have returned home, according to Ukrainian sources. The youngest of the returned children is ten years old, the oldest 17, as Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinez announced on Telegram. This means that 1,453 children have been returned from the occupied territories and Russia since the start of the Russian invasion. The information could not initially be independently verified.
Russia is accused of deliberately destroying the identity of Ukrainian children by forcibly abducting them and causing deep emotional and psychological trauma. The International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his children's envoy Maria Lvova-Belova for the abduction. Russia rejects the accusations.
