Ukraine demands Zelensky-Putin talks, Russia proposes brief truces
A Russian negotiator said his country agreed to the latest in a series of prisoner exchanges with Ukraine and proposed brief ceasefires allowing dead and wounded soldiers to be recovered.
Host country Turkey urged steps towards a lasting ceasefire and peace deal, but the Kremlin played down any expectations of a breakthrough after three-and-a-half years of war.
Ukraine's lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, told reporters: "Priority number one is to organise the meeting of the leaders, of presidents", in comments after the talks.
He said Kyiv had proposed to hold the talks by the end of August, with US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also participating.
Moscow's lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told reporters the sides had lengthy discussions but added: "The positions are quite distant. We agreed to continue contacts."
He said both countries agreed to exchange 1,200 prisoners of war each and that Moscow offered to hand Kyiv the bodies of 3,000 killed soldiers.
"We once again proposed to the Ukrainian side... to establish short 24- to 48-hour ceasefires on the line of contact, so that medical teams are able to collect the wounded and so that commanders can come take the bodies of their soldiers," he added.
- Trump deadline -
The two sides previously met in the Turkish city in May and June, but at those talks managed to agree only on other exchanges of prisoners and soldiers' bodies.
Trump last week gave Russia 50 days to end the war or face sanctions, but the Kremlin has not indicated it is willing to compromise.
"No one expects an easy road. It will be very difficult," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about his expectations for the talks.
Opening the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said: "Our aim is to end this bloody war, which has a very high cost, as soon as possible."
He added: "The ultimate goal is a ceasefire that will pave the way for peace."
A source in the Ukrainian delegation told AFP ahead of the talks: "Everything will depend on whether Russia stops speaking in ultimatums and takes a constructive position.
"This will determine whether results can be achieved at this meeting."
Moscow has said a lot of work is needed before even discussions can take place about possible talks between Putin and Zelensky, who last met in 2019.
After the previous round of talks the sides exchanged their draft terms for ending the conflict, which the Kremlin said were "diametrically opposed".
The two sides have radically different positions.
Russia has effectively called on Ukraine to retreat from the four Ukrainian regions Moscow claims to have annexed in September 2022, a demand Kyiv has called unacceptable.
Ukraine has ruled out any negotiations on territory until after a ceasefire and says it will never recognise Russia's claims over occupied territory -- including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
Russia's full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022, has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, killing tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians.
- Russia claims advances -
Wednesday's negotiations come as the White House steps up pressure on Russia to agree a compromise.
Trump announced last week he was giving Russia until September to strike a peace deal with Kyiv or face sanctions.
The US leader has been trying to broker an end to the war since his inauguration in January, but has failed to extract any concessions from the Kremlin, despite repeated phone calls with Putin.
Russia has meanwhile intensified its bombardment of Ukrainian towns and cities, while advancing across several different areas of the front line.
Between late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Russia fired 71 drones at four different regions of Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said.
The Russian defence ministry said Wednesday it had captured the village of Varachyne in Ukraine's northern Sumy region, where Moscow has been advancing for weeks.
A Russian drone attack on the Sumy region cut power to more than 220,000 people earlier Wednesday, Zelensky said.
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Rising: July 29, 2025
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
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Major cyber attack closes hundreds of pharmacies across Russia
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A missile strike on the city of Kamyanske killed two people, wounded five and damaged a hospital, Sergiy Lysak, head of the regional military administration said on Telegram. Another person was killed and several wounded in an attack on the region's Synelnykivsky district, he said. In a separate attack on Velykomykhaylivska, Monday night, a '75-year-old woman was killed. A 68-year-old man was wounded. A private house was damaged,' he posted on Telegram. 07:00 AM BST Welcome to our live coverage Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. We'll bring you the latest news and analysis throughout the day. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Forbes
Russian Airline Aeroflot Hit By Cyberattack, Grounding Flights
Russia's national airline, Aeroflot, has suffered a cyberattack that crippled IT systems, forcing it ... More to ground dozens of flights across the country. Russia's national airline, Aeroflot, has suffered a cyberattack that crippled IT systems, forcing it to ground dozens of flights across the country. Pro-Ukrainian hacker collective Silent Crow has taken credit for the cyberattack, according to TechCrunch, which cites a Telegram post claiming the breach. Silent Crow performed the attack on Aeroflot alongside another Belarusian hacking group Cyberpartisans — which announced its role in a post on X, formerly Twitter, citing Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. Silent Crow said it had 'completely destroyed' Aeroflot's IT systems. The attackers were reportedly able to take over Aeroflot's critical systems and access terabytes of internal company data. They posted screenshots apparently showing how they had accessed Aeroflot's internal active directory and claimed to be in possession of the personal data of every Russian who has flown with the airline. The hackers also threatened to leak this data. Russian prosecutors have issued a statement confirming over 60 flights have been cancelled and said they are now investigating the cyberattack. Aeroflot said the cancelled flights were mostly within Russia but also including routes to Belarus and Armenia, according to the BBC. The Kremlin has reportedly called this 'worrying.' Cyberattacks on airlines are a growing threat, with hacker collective Scattered Spider targeting the sector over the last few months, leading to an FBI warning on the subject. In this case, attackers relied on social engineering techniques, such as impersonating employees or contractors to deceive IT help desks into granting access, according to the FBI. It's not known how hackers gained access to Aeroflot's IT systems, or even for sure who performed the attack. However, Silent Crow and Cyberpartisans claim to have political aims. With geopolitical tensions rising across the globe, the attack on Russia's national airline is a prime example of how warfare has gone beyond physical. Following the Aeroflot attack, Russian MP, Anton Gorelkin noted in a statement: 'We must not forget that the war against our country is being waged on all fronts, including the digital one.' 'These cyberattacks raise concerns about a country's own national security, critical national infrastructure as well as the safety of sensitive information,' says Spencer Starkey, executive VP of EMEA at SonicWall. The Aeroflot cyberattack shows damage that can be done by an attack on an airline, making it key that the sector has the right safeguards in place to protect IT systems from falling victim to a breach of this kind. It also shows how this type of critical infrastructure can be used in warfare— a chilling sign of how future wars could be waged.
