Ukraine has proposed a fresh round of peace talks with Russia next week, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday.
“The momentum of the negotiations must be stepped up. The Security council secretary Rustem Umerov also reported that he had proposed the next meeting with the Russian side for next week,” Zelenskiy said in his evening address to the country.
His comments came after US-mediated peace negotiations stalled in early June. Two rounds of talks held in Istanbul did not result in a ceasefire but ended with the exchange of a large number of prisoners of war. Furthermore, Zelenskiy reiterated his readiness to have a face-to-face meeting with Putin. “A meeting at the leadership level is needed to truly ensure peace–lasting peace,” he said.
Last week, Zelenskiy appointed Umerov, former defence minister Umarov as the head of the national security and defence council and tasked him with adding more momentum to the negotiations. The proposal for peace talks on Saturday came hours after Russia launched another large-scale air strike on Ukraine, killing at least three people. Ten Ukrainian regions and several cities were struck on the night leading to Saturday. Ukraine's military said it downed most of over 340 explosive drones and 35 cruise and ballistic missiles fired at the country.
