New round of Ukraine, Russia peace talks planned
But TASS, the Russian state-run news agency, reported Monday that the next round of talks between Ukraine and Russia will be Thursday, citing a source.
'The meeting is scheduled for July 24. The delegations may arrive in Istanbul on July 23,' the news agency quoted the source as saying.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov played down expectations for the meeting, saying Russia does not expect to achieve a 'miraculous breakthrough.'
He said during a Tuesday press briefing that Russia intends to 'pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning.'
The nations have held two rounds of peace talks in Istanbul so far — on May 16 and June 2 — and the discussions have led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners, but there has been little to no progress on a potential ceasefire agreement.
Since the last round of talks, which took place nearly two months ago, Russia issued a memo outlining conditions for reaching a ceasefire, including: Having Ukraine's military disarm and agree to Russia's annexation of four regions in Ukraine that were overtaken since Moscow launched its invasion more than three years ago, regions the Russian military has struggled to maintain.
The upcoming talks also come as President Trump has pressed for forging peace in the region and has in recent weeks been increasingly critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying in a recent interview with the BBC that he is 'disappointed' with the Kremlin's leader, but not 'done with him.'
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