
Russia says it favours new round of peace talks with Ukraine, highlights gulf between them
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Kyiv has sent Moscow an offer to hold another round of peace talks this week, and that he wants to speed up negotiations for a ceasefire.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that as soon as there was a definitive understanding of the date for the next round of talks then Moscow would announce it.
"There is our draft memorandum, there is a draft memorandum that has been handed over by the Ukrainian side. There is to be an exchange of views and talks on these two drafts, which are diametrically opposed so far," Peskov said.
Ukraine and Russia have 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. But the two sides have made no breakthrough towards a ceasefire or a settlement to end almost three and a half years of war.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
14 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: More Bradleys and Hawks in $322m US arms sale
The US has announced approval to sell to Ukraine a combined $322m worth of Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and Hawk surface-to-air missile systems. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the Hawks would bolster Ukraine's air defences while the Bradleys would help meet Ukraine's 'urgent need to strengthen local sustainment capabilities to maintain high operational rates for United States-provided vehicles and weapon systems'. The state department approved the possible sales and the DSCA notified Congress, which would also need to approve the transactions. Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised a new bill to strengthen the rule of law as mass protests over his decision to weaken the powers of two independent anti-corruption agencies roiled the government. Luke Harding writes from Kyiv that in a video address, Zelenskyy sought to deflect criticism by promising a new presidential bill would guarantee the independence of anti-corruption institutions and at the same time ensure there was 'no Russian influence'. Zelenskyy responded to the backlash on Wednesday evening by saying he would submit a new bill ensuring 'all norms for the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be in place'. 'Of course, everyone has heard what people are saying these days – on social media, to each other, on the streets. It's not falling on deaf ears,' Zelenskyy said. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Kyiv for a second day, while European leaders expressed concern at the Ukrainian president's contentious decision. They want him to scrap a controversial law passed this week that effectively places anti-corruption agencies under direct government control. Chinese-made engines for war drones are being covertly shipped to the Russian manufacturer IEMZ Kupol labelled as 'industrial refrigeration units' to avoid detection and western sanctions, according to three European security officials and documents reviewed by the Reuters news agency. The state-owned armourer makes the Garpiya-A1 attack drone partly modelled on the Iranian-designed Shahed. Reuters said the sources and documents included contracts, invoices and customs paperwork. The long-range drone has been used against civilian targets, with about 500 launched per month, the Ukrainian military intelligence agency told Reuters. Reuters previously reported that Kupol was using L550E engines made by Chinese Xiamen Limbach Aviation Engine Co. After the report, the EU and US sanctioned companies including Xiamen. A new Chinese firm called Beijing Xichao International Technology and Trade then sprang up to supply the L550E engines through front companies, according to invoices, a Kupol internal letter and transportation documents reviewed by Reuters. China's foreign ministry told Reuters it was unaware of the exports and it had controlled foreign sales of dual-use goods in line with China's own laws and international obligations, while opposing the sanctions. Ukrainian prosecutors said Russian forces injured a man, 61, when they shelled the Kharkiv regional village of Petro-Ivanivka; and injured a 75-year-old woman and a 79-year-old man when they struck the city of Kupyansk. The attacks were reported late on Tuesday night. Russia and Ukraine discussed further prisoner swaps on Wednesday at a brief session of peace talks in Istanbul, but the sides remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders. Ukraine's chief delegate, Rustem Umerov, said after talks that lasted just 40 minutes that Ukraine had proposed a meeting before the end of August between Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. 'By agreeing to this proposal, Russia can clearly demonstrate its constructive approach.' Russia's chief delegate, Vladimir Medinsky, said the point of a leaders' meeting should be to sign an agreement, not to 'discuss everything from scratch'. He renewed Moscow's call for a series of short ceasefires of 24-48 hours to enable the retrieval of bodies. Ukraine says it wants an immediate and much longer ceasefire. Ukraine brought home a new group of prisoners of war from Russia on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said, saying it took to more than 1,000 the number of returning soldiers as agreed at talks in Turkey. 'The servicemen who are returning today defended Ukraine in different sectors of the front,' he said. 'A significant number spent more than three years as prisoners. All are receiving key support and medical assistance.' Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defences with the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar, in Kyiv on Wednesday. Zelenskyy said opportunities in joint weapons production were also a topic of talks. Israel's Iron Dome and David's Sling air defence systems – used to protect against terrorist rockets and ballistic missiles – are known to be the envy of Ukraine's military.


Reuters
14 minutes ago
- Reuters
Falling drone debris kills one in southern Russia, local officials say
July 23 (Reuters) - Ukrainian drones attacked southern Russian Black Sea regions early on Thursday, killing one person, injuring another and hitting an oil storage depot, local officials said. The attack is Ukraine's latest in its war with Russia, which invaded its smaller neighbour in February 2022. Emergency officials in Krasnodar region on the Black Sea, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said debris from a falling drone struck and killed a woman in Adler district near the resort city of Sochi. A second woman was being treated in hospital for serious injuries. Reuters could not independent confirm the report. The administrative head of the Sirius federal district, south of Sochi, said a drone hit an oil base, but gave no further details. Russia's Rosaviatsia aviation authority said operations were suspended at Sochi airport for about four hours. Ukraine's military has frequently launched drone attacks on Russian targets often far from the war's front line, particularly on sites linked with energy. Russian forces have in recent weeks intensified drone attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
State Department approves $322 million in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine
The State Department said Wednesday that it has approved $322 million in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine to enhance its air defense capabilities and provide armored combat vehicles, coming as the country works to fend off escalating Russian attacks. The potential sales, which the department said were notified to Congress, include $150 million for the supply, maintenance, repair and overhaul of U.S. armored vehicles, and $172 million for surface-to-air missile systems. The approvals come weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed a pause on other weapons shipments to Ukraine to allow the Pentagon to assess its weapons stockpiles, in a move that caught the White House by surprise. President Donald Trump then made an abrupt change in posture, pledging publicly earlier this month to continue to send weapons to Ukraine. 'We have to,' Trump said. 'They have to be able to defend themselves. They're getting hit very hard now. We're going to send some more weapons — defensive weapons primarily.' Trump recently endorsed a plan to have European allies buy U.S. military equipment that can then be transferred to Ukraine. It was not immediately clear how the latest proposed sales related to that arrangement. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. has provided more than $67 billion in weapons and security assistance to Kyiv. Since Trump came back into office, his administration has gone back and forth about providing more military aid to Ukraine, with political pressure to stop U.S. funding of foreign wars coming from the isolationists inside the Trump administration and on Capitol Hill. Over the course of the war, the U.S. has routinely pressed for allies to provide air defense systems to Ukraine. But many are reluctant to give up the high-tech systems, particularly countries in Eastern Europe that also feel threatened by Russia. ___