"We Are Hopeful for Progress in This Week’s Peace Talks to End Ukraine Conflict" – Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov

"We Are Hopeful for Progress in This Week’s Peace Talks to End Ukraine Conflict" – Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov
[Moscow, July 22, 2025] —
The Kremlin on Tuesday announced that Russia is hopeful the next round of peace talks with Ukraine will be held sometime this week.

“We are expecting the talks to take place this week. Once we’re ready, we’ll announce the schedule,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a press briefing.

While Peskov noted that Russia is not expecting any "miraculous breakthroughs", he emphasized that prisoner exchanges already agreed upon were a “significant achievement”.
He acknowledged that resolving the Ukraine crisis remains “highly complex.”

Peskov also pointed out that Kyiv has yet to lift the 2022 ban that prohibits direct talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which continues to block direct high-level dialogue.

He stated that the topics under discussion are “extremely complex”, and that draft memorandums exchanged during the second round of talks last month would need to be revisited and renegotiated.

“I won’t try to predict a timeline for resolving the Ukraine conflict — it depends on many factors, and any forecast right now would be inaccurate,” Peskov added.

His remarks followed a video message from President Zelensky, who confirmed on Monday night that the next round of peace talks with Russia is scheduled to take place on Wednesday in Istanbul, Turkey.

Two prior rounds of peace talks between the two nations have already taken place in Istanbul — the first on May 16 and the second on June 2.

In the most recent talks, both parties agreed to:

• Exchange more prisoners of war, prioritizing younger and severely wounded individuals, and

• Repatriate the bodies of 6,000 soldiers from both sides.

Peskov also mentioned that the possibility of a summit among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council is under consideration, aimed at addressing global tensions, particularly nuclear issues. However, he admitted that “the current environment is not conducive” to such a meeting.

“We’re observing an upward trend in tensions, including in areas of militarization and nuclear arms,” Peskov warned.
He confirmed that Russia’s relevant departments are closely monitoring the situation and taking necessary steps to ensure national security.

Peskov concluded by expressing hope that disagreements over the Ukraine issue will not negatively impact Russia-Azerbaijan bilateral relations.