Zelensky proposes new peace talks with Russia next week
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Ukraine has proposed new peace talks with Russia amid intensifying airstrikes and drone warfare.
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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky attends the parliament session in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 17, 2025 (AP)
Kiev has proposed a new round of peace talks with Moscow next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Saturday, just hours after fresh Russian airstrikes across Ukraine.
Previous negotiations held in Istanbul have yielded little progress toward a ceasefire, resulting instead in large-scale prisoner swaps and agreements to repatriate fallen soldiers.
"Security Council Secretary Umerov... reported that he had proposed the next meeting with the Russian side for next week," Zelensky said during his nightly address. "The momentum of the negotiations must be stepped up," he urged.
Zelensky also renewed his call for a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "A meeting at the leadership level is needed to truly ensure peace–lasting peace," he said.
Past talks
At last month’s talks, Russia presented a set of demands, including that Ukraine surrender additional territory and abandon all Western military support, terms Kiev flatly rejected as unacceptable. Ukrainian officials at the time questioned the value of further talks unless Moscow showed a willingness to compromise.
Earlier this month, the Kremlin signaled its openness to continued dialogue following remarks by US President Donald Trump, who warned Russia it had 50 days to reach a peace deal or face sanctions. Trump also vowed to boost Ukraine’s defense with new NATO-backed military aid, as Russian attacks escalate.
Russia ramps up frontline assaults
Russia has intensified its long-range aerial assaults on Ukrainian cities in recent months, alongside sustained frontline attacks and shelling, defying US President Donald Trump's warnings.
Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 73 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in an overnight operation stretching across several regions and maritime zones, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Friday.
Between 11:00 pm Moscow time on July 17 and 7:00 am on July 18, air defense units targeted drones launched by Ukrainian forces toward various regions, including the capital. According to the Ministry, 31 drones were downed over the Bryansk region, 17 over the Oryol region, and 10 in the Moscow region, with three reportedly heading directly toward the city.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that air defenses neutralized at least one Ukrainian UAV aimed at the capital. In a brief statement, he said, "All emergency services are working at the site of the crash."
Additional drones were intercepted over Crimea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea, as well as the Smolensk, Nizhny Novgorod, Belgorod, Kaluga, and Voronezh regions. No casualties were reported as a result of the drone attack.
In Russia’s southern Rostov region, a Ukrainian drone attack injured a railway worker and forced a four-hour suspension of train services, leading to significant delays.
