Ukraine-Russia Talks: Zelenskyy’s Bold Offer to Negotiate with Putin Amid Escalating Attacks
According to AP News and Newsmax on July 22, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reiterated his demand for direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to put an end to the nearly three-and-a-half-year conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Zelenskyy’s offer represents a last-ditch effort to bring about peace as Russian forces escalate their attacks, including one that killed a child in Odesa. Will continued violence ruin hopes for a ceasefire, or can these talks end the impasse?
After two unsuccessful meetings in recent months, Zelenskyy’s proposal comes ahead of a third round of negotiations scheduled for July 23, 2025, in Istanbul. According to Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan from November 2022, Ukraine wants a complete, unconditional ceasefire, the return of prisoners and kidnapped children, and Russia’s withdrawal from occupied territories, including Crimea. However, Kyiv rejects these demands as surrender, and Russia insists on Ukraine’s demilitarization, recognition of annexated areas, and permanent neutrality. According to Al Jazeera, Ukraine and European allies have denounced the Kremlin delegation, headed by Vladimir Medinsky, as “low-level,” indicating Moscow’s hesitancy for meaningful talks.
Russia has opposed a ceasefire despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s mediation efforts, which included a two-hour phone conversation with Putin on May 19, 2025. Putin has cited Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian territory as a reason for this resistance. According to POLITICO, Zelenskyy called on tougher sanctions to put pressure on Russia and accused Moscow of “hiding from decisions.” Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders have echoed this, promising to impose harsher sanctions in order to pressure Putin to negotiate. However, PBS News claims that Trump’s waning commitment, as demonstrated by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s absence from a crucial NATO meeting, casts doubt on Western unity.
The conflict’s human cost is still astounding. According to AP News, four Ukrainian cities were the target of Russian drone and missile strikes on July 22 that killed civilians and damaged infrastructure. Although Ukraine’s retaliatory drone attacks on Russian bases demonstrate its resolve, they also heighten tensions and make peace efforts more difficult. In recent negotiations, both sides reached a rare agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners, but a long-term ceasefire is still elusive. Will Zelenskyy’s demand for an in-person meeting with Putin be successful, or will Russia’s resistance prove to be too much of a barrier? The Istanbul talks, which the world is watching, could decide whether peace can be achieved or whether the carnage of the war will continue.
