Zelenskyy says Ukraine sent Russia offer of new peace talks
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Saturday that Defence Council secretary Rustem Umerov made the offer of a meeting with Russian negotiators for next week.
'Everything should be done to achieve a ceasefire,' Zelenskyy said in his evening address to the nation. 'The Russian side should stop hiding from decisions.'
Ukraine's leader also reiterated his readiness to have a face-to-face sit-down with Putin. 'A meeting at the leadership level is needed to truly ensure peace – lasting peace,' he said.
There was no immediate response from Russia.
Secretary of the NSDC proposed a new meeting with Russia next week. They must stop hiding from decisions. Ceasefire. Prisoner exchanges. Return of children. End to the killings. And a meeting at the level of leaders is needed to truly ensure a lasting peace. Ukraine is ready. pic.twitter.com/ksH7FzxnAE
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 19, 2025
Umerov, a former defence minister, was appointed last week as the head of the National Security and Defence Council and tasked with adding more momentum to the negotiations.
He headed his country's delegation in two previous rounds of talks in Turkiye earlier this year, which yielded little more than an agreement to exchange prisoners and soldiers' remains.
In previous rounds, Russia outlined a list of hardline demands that were not acceptable to Ukraine, calling on it to cede four Ukrainian regions it claims as its own and reject Western military support.
However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday indicated that Moscow agreed with a statement by Zelenskyy that peace efforts needed 'more momentum'.
The shift came after United States President Donald Trump, who initially appeared to adopt a conciliatory approach towards Russia after entering office, upped the pressure on Moscow.
This week, Trump set a 50-day deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine or face '100 percent tariffs' and the prospect of secondary sanctions being imposed on countries that buy Russian oil.
He also promised to ramp up arms shipments to the war-battered country.
Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the ministry, said on Thursday that Russia would not accept the 'blackmail' of Washington's sanctions ultimatum, and the decision to resume weapons deliveries was a signal to Ukraine to 'abandon the peace process'.
Ongoing exchange of fire
Kyiv extended its invitation for more talks with Moscow after Russian forces staged a massive drone attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa early on Saturday, killing at least one resident and injuring six others, according to Zelenskyy.
Posting on X on Saturday, the Ukrainian president said Russia launched more than 30 missiles and 300 drones during its overnight assault that affected 10 regions of the country.
Russia, meanwhile, had to suspend trains for about four hours overnight in the southern Rostov region when it came under a Ukrainian drone attack, which injured one railway worker.
On Saturday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that Russian air defence systems shot down three drones en route to the city.
Two Moscow airports – Vnukovo and Domodedovo – suspended arrivals and departures for safety reasons, but later resumed operations, Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 27 Ukrainian drones in total from 3pm to 7pm Moscow time (12:00-16:00 GMT).
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has led to Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II, with estimates suggesting 1.2 million people have been wounded or killed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
21 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Ukraine's Zelenskyy introduces bill after anticorruption protests
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has submitted a new draft bill to the country's legislature, in an effort to calm outrage over a previously passed law that critics say paves the way for corruption. The country's anticorruption agencies quickly hailed the bill's introduction on Thursday, saying it would restore their 'procedural powers and guarantees of independence'. The Ukrainian leader has contended with protests and condemnation from both within Ukraine and from its closest European allies after a separate controversial law was passed on Tuesday. That law placed the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the direct authority of the country's prosecutor general – a position appointed by the president. Zelenskyy initially maintained that the law was needed to respond to suspected 'Russian influence' within the agencies amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Critics, however, said the law would strip the bodies of their independence and could allow political interference, while failing to address any potential Kremlin-linked operatives. On Tuesday, thousands of Ukrainians defied martial law – which has been in place since the beginning of Russia's war – to take to the streets of Kyiv and other major cities to protest against the law. European officials also questioned the law, noting that addressing corruption remains a core requirement both for Ukraine's future European Union membership and in assuring aid flows to combat Russia. Amid the pressure, Zelenskyy backed away from the new law, promising to submit new legislation that would assure 'all the norms for the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be in place' and that there would be no Russian 'influence or interference'. Opposition lawmakers have also separately prepared their own legislation to revoke the law passed on Tuesday. 'They heroically solved the problems that they created just as heroically. Grand imitators,' Yaroslav Zhelezniak, from the opposition Holos party, said on Telegram, criticising Zelenskyy and his allies about-turn. Before the new draft bill's introduction, Zelenskyy spoke with the leaders of Germany and the United Kingdom on Thursday. In a statement, Zelenskyy's office said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had 'offered to involve experts who could contribute to long-term cooperation' on the issue. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said he invited Friedrich Merz to 'join the expert review of the bill'. 'Friedrich assured me of readiness to assist,' he said. It was not immediately clear when Ukraine's legislature, the Verkhovna Rada, would vote on the new bill.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
Ukraine's Zelenskyy introduces new draft law after anticorruption protests
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has submitted a new draft bill to the country's legislature, in an effort to calm outrage over a previously passed law that critics say paves the way for corruption. The country's anticorruption agencies quickly hailed the bill's introduction on Thursday, saying it would restore their 'procedural powers and guarantees of independence'. The Ukrainian leader has contended with protests and condemnation from both within Ukraine and from its closest European allies after a separate controversial law was passed on Tuesday. That law placed the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the direct authority of the country's prosecutor general – a position appointed by the president. Zelenskyy initially maintained that the law was needed to respond to suspected 'Russian influence' within the agencies amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Critics, however, said the law would strip the bodies of their independence and could allow political interference, while failing to address any potential Kremlin-linked operatives. On Tuesday, thousands of Ukrainians defied martial law – which has been in place since the beginning of Russia's war – to take to the streets of Kyiv and other major cities to protest against the law. European officials also questioned the law, noting that addressing corruption remains a core requirement both for Ukraine's future European Union membership and in assuring aid flows to combat Russia. Amid the pressure, Zelenskyy backed away from the new law, promising to submit new legislation that would assure 'all the norms for the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be in place' and that there would be no Russian 'influence or interference'. Opposition lawmakers have also separately prepared their own legislation to revoke the law passed on Tuesday. 'They heroically solved the problems that they created just as heroically. Grand imitators,' Yaroslav Zhelezniak, from the opposition Holos party, said on Telegram, criticising Zelenskyy and his allies about-turn. Before the new draft bill's introduction, Zelenskyy spoke with the leaders of Germany and the United Kingdom on Thursday. In a statement, Zelenskyy's office said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had 'offered to involve experts who could contribute to long-term cooperation' on the issue. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said he invited Friedrich Merz to 'join the expert review of the bill'. 'Friedrich assured me of readiness to assist,' he said. It was not immediately clear when Ukraine's legislature, the Verkhovna Rada, would vote on the new bill.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
UNRWA's 'ability to respond' to needs in Gaza depend on Israel
UNRWA's 'ability to respond' to needs in Gaza depend on Israel Quotable Sam Rose says UNRWA could replicate the effective aid delivery it achieved during Gaza's first ceasefire, if allowed. Sam Rose, acting director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, says if allowed by Israel, the UN agency could replicate the effective aid delivery it achieved during Gaza's first ceasefire. Video Duration 01 minutes 20 seconds 01:20 Video Duration 01 minutes 12 seconds 01:12 Video Duration 01 minutes 10 seconds 01:10 Video Duration 01 minutes 21 seconds 01:21 Video Duration 01 minutes 39 seconds 01:39 Video Duration 01 minutes 07 seconds 01:07 Video Duration 01 minutes 39 seconds 01:39
