Ukraine’s Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, has announced that the next phase of negotiations with Russia will focus on organizing a direct meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, following discussions on humanitarian issues. This follows a multi-stage negotiation process initiated by the U.S. and involving several key cities. The talks have led to prisoner exchanges, but a comprehensive ceasefire remains unresolved, with Russia rejecting U.S.-proposed terms.
The negotiations have taken place in several key locations, including Jeddah, Riyadh, Paris, London, and Istanbul, with Umerov serving as the lead Ukrainian representative. Ukraine has accepted a U.S.-proposed full ceasefire across land, sea, and air in early March, but Russia has rejected the proposal. Despite this, the talks have led to a few major prisoner exchanges, including a 1,000-for-1,000 swap in late May and a follow-up deal for up to 1,200 prisoners from each side.
Recent discussions in Istanbul have seen Ukraine focus on humanitarian issues such as the release of civilians and children. Umerov emphasized that the next stage must include top-level dialogue. He criticized Russia’s limited ceasefire proposals as insufficient, stating that the Kremlin is avoiding meaningful peace. Zelensky has also criticized Moscow’s limited ceasefire offers and called on Trump to follow through on promised sanctions if talks remain fruitless.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that he is monitoring the peace process closely and warned that the U.S. response could change if Putin is not prepared to end the war. No further U.S. sanctions have been imposed after more than 100 days of Moscow’s refusal to accept the proposed ceasefire. Despite these stalled efforts, Ukraine remains committed to its pursuit of peace, as stated by Umerov, who stressed that Ukraine has always supported the U.S. initiative for a full ceasefire and demonstrated its commitment through multiple rounds of negotiations.