Ukraine, Russia to hold peace talks in Turkey, Zelensky says

Kyiv and Moscow will hold a new round of peace talks — the first in seven weeks — on Wednesday in Turkey, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov is in Istanbul to meet with his Russian counterparts to discuss the war and hash out the terms for another prisoner of war exchange, Zelensky said.

Despite Kyiv’s push to reach a cease-fire deal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the world not to expect a “miraculous breakthrough” from the meeting.

“We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning,” Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

A Turkish foreign ministry source told Reuters that the meeting at the Ciragan Palace would begin at around noon EST, with all eyes set on how Russia would proceed.

“The Ukrainian delegation has come to Turkey prepared to take significant steps toward peace and a full ceasefire, but everything will depend on whether the Russian side is willing to take a constructive approach,” the source said.

The Kremlin has remained steadfast in avoiding any progress on the peace talks, with last month’s meeting yielding no results.

Zelensky has repeatedly pushed for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him face-to-face to negotiate an end to the war, which has raged on for more than three years.

The Ukrainian president said Wednesday’s meeting will continue to push for the meeting, noting that his team has been tasked with establishing “the preparation of a leaders’ meeting.”

Putin, however, has previously stated that he has no interest in meeting with Zelensky, accusing the Ukrainian president of being an illegitimate leader due to the halt of presidential elections in Kyiv while the country is under martial law.

Putin claimed earlier this week that he would be open to advancing the stalled peace talks, but only if all of the Kremlin’s demands are met.

Putin has said Russia will prioritize its goal of maintaining all the territories it has taken from Ukraine, as well as its demands for Kyiv to completely demilitarize.

The Russian strongman has also scoffed at President Trump’s 50-day deadline for a cease-fire, which if not reached would result in heavy secondary tariffs against Moscow.

Trump also vowed to prop up Ukraine’s military with “billions of dollars” worth of weapons from NATO, which would help Kyiv defend itself in the face of the ever-escalating drone and missile attacks Russia launches on a daily basis.

With Post wires