Zelenskyy says Ukraine sent Russia offer of new peace talks

Ukrainian person besides reiterates readiness for face-to-face gathering with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine has projected to clasp a caller circular of bid talks with Russia adjacent week aft negotiations stalled past month.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed connected Saturday that Defence Council caput Rustem Umerov made the connection of a gathering with Russian negotiators for adjacent week.

“Everything should beryllium done to execute a ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said successful his evening code to the nation. “The Russian broadside should halt hiding from decisions.”

Ukraine’s person besides reiterated his readiness to person a face-to-face sit-down with Putin. “A gathering astatine the enactment level is needed to genuinely guarantee bid – lasting peace,” helium said.

There was nary contiguous effect from Russia.

Secretary of the NSDC projected a caller gathering with Russia adjacent week. They indispensable halt hiding from decisions. Ceasefire. Prisoner exchanges. Return of children. End to the killings. And a gathering astatine the level of leaders is needed to genuinely guarantee a lasting peace. Ukraine is ready. pic.twitter.com/ksH7FzxnAE

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 19, 2025

Umerov, a erstwhile defence minister, was appointed past week arsenic the caput of the National Security and Defence Council and tasked with adding much momentum to the negotiations.

He headed his country’s delegation successful 2 erstwhile rounds of talks successful Turkiye earlier this year, which yielded small much than an agreement to speech prisoners and soldiers’ remains.

In erstwhile rounds, Russia outlined a database of hardline demands that were not acceptable to Ukraine, calling connected it to cede 4 Ukrainian regions it claims arsenic its ain and cull Western subject support.

However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov connected Friday indicated that Moscow agreed with a connection by Zelenskyy that bid efforts needed “more momentum”.

The displacement came aft United States President Donald Trump, who initially appeared to follow a conciliatory attack towards Russia aft entering office, upped the pressure connected Moscow.

This week, Trump acceptable a 50-day deadline for Moscow to scope a ceasefire successful Ukraine oregon look “100 percent tariffs” and the imaginable of secondary sanctions being imposed connected countries that bargain Russian oil.

He besides promised to ramp up arms shipments to the war-battered country.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the ministry, said connected Thursday that Russia would not judge the “blackmail” of Washington’s sanctions ultimatum, and the determination to resume weapons deliveries was a awesome to Ukraine to “abandon the bid process”.

Ongoing speech of fire

Kyiv extended its invitation for much talks with Moscow aft Russian forces staged a monolithic drone onslaught connected the Ukrainian Black Sea larboard metropolis of Odesa aboriginal connected Saturday, sidesplitting astatine slightest 1 nonmigratory and injuring six others, according to Zelenskyy.

Posting connected X connected Saturday, the Ukrainian president said Russia launched much than 30 missiles and 300 drones during its overnight battle that affected 10 regions of the country.

Russia, meanwhile, had to suspend trains for astir 4 hours overnight successful the confederate Rostov portion erstwhile it came nether a Ukrainian drone attack, which injured 1 railway worker.

On Saturday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said connected Telegram that Russian aerial defence systems changeable down 3 drones en way to the city.

Two Moscow airports – Vnukovo and Domodedovo – suspended arrivals and departures for information reasons, but aboriginal resumed operations, Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said.

The Russian Defence Ministry said its aerial defence systems intercepted and destroyed 27 Ukrainian drones successful full from 3pm to 7pm Moscow clip (12:00-16:00 GMT).

Russia’s penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022 has led to Europe’s bloodiest struggle since World War II, with estimates suggesting 1.2 cardinal radical person been wounded oregon killed.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies