Today at 10:00
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says direct talks between top leaders are necessary to end the war, noting that recent operations inside Russia have pushed Moscow to consider such a meeting.
Speaking to journalists on July 24, Zelenskyy commented on the Istanbul negotiations:
“We need to end this war, and that probably starts with a leaders’ summit. There’s no other way. A clear agenda is needed for such a meeting…
We’ve always raised this issue publicly, and now the Russians have started discussing it with us. That’s already a move toward some kind of meeting format.”
Zelenskyy suggested that Russia’s shift in attitude may be linked to recent events on its own territory:
“Beyond the negotiation process, dialogue, and diplomacy—many things happened on their territory. You’ve seen it.”
He also highlighted recent progress in the Istanbul talks, including a significant breakthrough:
“We agreed on the exchange of 1,200 prisoners of war.
The second point, which took a long time to get to, is the release of civilians—political prisoners and journalists.
We’ve started working on the lists. Russia is expected to release civilians, not exchange them. We’re now looking for a workable format.”
