Ukraine proposes renewed peace talks amid renewed attacks

English , International - بین الاقوامی , Snippets , / Sunday, July 20th, 2025

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Kyiv, July 20 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed a new round of peace talks with Russia, aiming to revive stalled negotiations as the war enters a critical phase.
In his evening address, Zelensky said senior security official Rustem Umerov has offered to meet the Russian side next week. “Everything must be done to achieve a ceasefire,” Zelensky stressed, reiterating his willingness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face. “A leadership-level meeting is essential to securing real peace,” he said.
The proposal came just hours after Russia launched another large-scale overnight air assault across ten Ukrainian regions, killing at least three people and damaging multiple buildings. Ukraine’s military reported that over 340 drones and 35 cruise and ballistic missiles were launched, many of which were intercepted.
The renewed outreach comes amid mounting international pressure. Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to supply Ukraine with advanced weaponry via NATO and threatened to impose 100% secondary tariffs on Russia’s trade partners if a peace deal is not reached within 50 days.
Previous peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, held in Istanbul, have yielded only limited results, including prisoner exchanges and agreements to return fallen soldiers. The last round ended in early June without progress, as Russia reportedly rejected Ukraine’s demand for an unconditional ceasefire.
Moscow has insisted on major concessions, including territorial cessions and a ban on Western military support, conditions Kyiv and its allies deem unacceptable.
Zelensky accused Moscow of intentionally stalling progress. Meanwhile, Russia continues to occupy around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. The full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Ukraine’s latest diplomatic overture seeks to de-escalate the conflict while resisting further territorial compromise.