Former Defense Minister and newly appointed National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov will lead Ukraine’s delegation in the next round of negotiations with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday.
Speaking on Monday evening, Zelensky said the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 23, in Istanbul. Turkish media had earlier reported the talks could take place on Wednesday and Thursday.
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“I have instructed to form a delegation for negotiations with the Russian side,” Zelensky said.
“The delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov and will include representatives of Ukrainian intelligence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the President’s Office.”
Zelensky said Kyiv has three main priorities for the upcoming talks with Moscow: the return of prisoners of war, the repatriation of children abducted to Russia, and an in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky said Moscow is the one who should “end the war it started.”
“Our position is clear and transparent,” he said. “Ukraine never wanted this war. It is Russia that must end the war it started.”
The upcoming negotiations, if held, would be the third round of direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow this year.
Russia, reacting to reports of the planned meeting, said the dates were not yet final as of Monday. State news agency TASS quoted officials as saying the sides were still discussing holding the talks on Thursday and Friday.
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Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation in similar talks in Istanbul earlier this summer. After the last round of talks, he said a face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and Putin remained one of Kyiv’s main goals.
US President Donald Trump has tried to mediate an end to the war, leading to several rounds of largely unsuccessful talks, including in Istanbul and Saudi Arabia.
A brief ceasefire deal on energy and the Black Sea collapsed, and Western threats of new sanctions were issued if Russia did not show progress.
The West then called for intensified sanctions on Moscow if the latter failed to comply with an unconditional ceasefire by May 12, but later said Moscow had one week to show progress before proceeding with new sanctions.
In response to the ultimatum, Putin proposed resuming the Istanbul talks – following a failed negotiation in the same location in 2022 – to which Zelensky accepted and called for Putin’s personal attendance.
Putin was a no-show, and the talks did not result in a ceasefire as intended after Moscow sent a historian to head the delegation.
While the negotiations failed to produce a ceasefire, they did result in major prisoner exchanges and the return of fallen soldiers’ remains.
Recently, after what Trump called a “disappointing” call with Putin, Trump gave Moscow a 50-day ultimatum to move toward peace or face harsh new sanctions.
Despite the ultimatum, Russian attacks across Ukraine continued unabated, with hundreds of drones pounding the Ukrainian capital overnight on Monday, just a week after the ultimatum was issued.
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