KYIV, July 22: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has renewed his offer to meet with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, but hopes of progress are low as delegations prepare for another round of talks. Russian forces have pounded four Ukrainian cities in nighttime attacks that officials said killed a child. Putin has spurned Zelenskyy’s previous offers of a face-to-face meeting to end Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. However, the Ukrainian leader insists that lower-level delegations like the ones expected for talks in Istanbul don’t have the political heft to stop the fighting. The sides remain far apart on how to end the war begun by Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb 24, 2022.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “a lot of work needs to be done before having a detailed discussion on a possibility of high-level meetings,” effectively scrapping hopes of a summit any time soon. Ukrainian and Western officials have accused the Kremlin of stalling in talks in order for its bigger army to capture more Ukrainian land. Zelenskyy’s announcement late Monday that the negotiations would take place generated little hope of progress.
Russia is driving hard to break through at eastern and northeastern points on the 1,000-kilometer front line and is also firing upwards of 700 drones a night at Ukrainian cities. At the next Istanbul talks, Ukraine wants to secure the release of more prisoners from Russian captivity and the return of children Ukraine says were abducted. The Ukrainian delegation will be headed by former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who is now the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
Russian forces have struck four Ukrainian cities in three regions in overnight attacks, killing a child and wounding at least 41 other people. (AP)
