Faint signs of life appear in effort to halt Ukraine war
NEW YORK - When Russian and Ukrainian peace negotiators met in June, they could agree on little more than exchanging bodies. Those negotiations, brokered by the Trump administration, appeared to show its goal of ending the war was deeply stalled.
But that doesn't mean that the diplomatic entreaties don't continue – with both Russia and Ukraine trying in their own ways to appeal to the White House.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine
proposed over the weekend to revive the talks. It was his first offer for renewed negotiations since the Trump administration agreed to facilitate the transfer of air defence weapons to Ukraine and threatened to impose
sanctions on Russia's trading partners within 50 days – both steps intended to hasten negotiations.
Mr Zelensky proposed talks on a ceasefire, prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia during the war. He reiterated an offer for a direct meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, first floated in May. Mr Putin had then remained silent for days before rejecting the offer.
'The Russian side must stop hiding from decisions,' Mr Zelensky said in a video address on the evening of July 19. Ukraine, he said, has offered a meeting in the coming week in Istanbul, where two previous rounds of talks took place in May and June.
Mr Zelensky said his national security adviser, Mr Rustem Umerov, had conveyed the proposal to the Russian negotiating team.
Russia did not immediately respond directly to Ukraine's offer. The Kremlin spokesperson, Mr Dmitri Peskov, told Russian state television on July 20 that Mr Putin wanted a peace agreement but that 'the main thing for us is to achieve our goals' in the war.
'President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible,' Mr Peskov said. 'This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy.' Tass, a Russian state news agency, confirmed that the Kremlin had received the offer.
Russia is seeking additional territory, a declaration that Ukraine will not join Nato and will remain a neutral state, limits on the future size of Ukraine's army and recognition of Russian as an official language in Ukraine, among other demands.
The Trump administration has pushed for an unconditional ceasefire before substantive talks on a final settlement. Ukraine agreed to that condition in March. NYTIMES
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