Ukrainian delegation meets Erdogan in Turkey ahead of third round of peace talks with Russia

Editor's note: The article was updated after the Ukrainian delegation met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ukrainian delegates met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on July 23 ahead of the third round of peace negotiations with Russia, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak announced.

"We expressed our gratitude to Turkey and President (Recep Tayyip Erdogan) for their consistent political and security support for Ukraine throughout the full-scale war with Russia," said Yermak, who is part of the delegation.

"We also appreciate Turkey's readiness to provide a platform for negotiations and to support diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine."

The Ukrainian delegation, led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, will subsequently head for Istanbul for negotiations with Moscow.

Russian state media reported that a Russian delegation has already arrived for the talks, which are scheduled to start at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul at 7 p.m. local time.

The talks will follow the previous two rounds of negotiations with Russia, held in Istanbul in May and June. These failed to achieve a breakthrough in ending the hostilities but led to new agreements on prisoner exchanges.

The chief task for Umerov's team during the upcoming round is to facilitate a face-to-face meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a source familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent.

While Zelensky has repeatedly voiced readiness to meet Putin, the Russian leader has thus far refused to attend the talks in person.

Other priorities publicly outlined by Zelensky are further exchanges of civilian and military captives and the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. The president also said the Ukrainian delegation will once again demand an immediate and complete ceasefire.

Apart from Umerov and Yermak, the Ukrainian delegation includes representatives from the Foreign Ministry, military intelligence (HUR), and the Presidential Office, including First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya and deputy military intelligence chief Vadym Skybytskyi.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on July 21 that Putin's aide, Vladimir Medinsky, would again lead the Russian delegation.

Peskov also reiterated that Moscow's war goals remain unchanged, reflecting Russia's reluctance to concede from its maximalist demands.

Ukraine has proposed a 30-day unconditional ceasefire in both rounds of talks — a position supported by the U.S. — but Russia has so far rejected the proposal.

Kyslytsya told the Kyiv Independent on July 7 that Russia's approach at the Istanbul meetings amounts to ultimatums rather than genuine negotiations.

Editorial: Zelensky just betrayed Ukraine’s democracy — and everyone fighting for it

Editor’s note: This editorial has been updated to reflect the fact Zelensky signed the bill into law on the evening of July 22, as shown on the Parliament’s website. Last week, we warned of a coming anti-democratic backslide. Now, we see it happening. A parliamentary vote, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s lawmakers, today took away the independence of Ukraine’s key anti-corruption bodies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Z

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent