Zelensky: next round of talks with Russians will take place on July 23

In an evening address on July 21, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he had discussed preparations for a new prisoner exchange and a meeting with the Russians with Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Rustem Umerov. The next round of Ukraine-Russia talks is scheduled for July 23 in Turkey.

Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia

On May 16, 2025, the first direct talks between Ukraine and Russia since 2022 were held in Istanbul. The meeting lasted a little over an hour. According to journalists, Russia demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from a number of territories to ensure a ceasefire and threatened to occupy the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reported that at the meeting, the Ukrainian and Russian sides discussed a prisoner exchange in the "1000 for 1000" format and a ceasefire. The parties reached an agreement on the exchange — three prisoner exchanges in this format have already taken place.

On May 19, Trump spoke with Putin, as well as with Zelensky and a number of European leaders. Putin said after the conversation that he was ready to work on a memorandum with Ukraine that includes a ceasefire. Trump says that Russia and Ukraine “will immediately begin negotiations on a ceasefire and, more importantly, an end to the war”.

A large exchange in several stages was agreed upon at negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on June 2. It was there that the parties decided to focus on exchanges in the "all-for-all" format by categories: seriously wounded and seriously ill, and young people aged 18 to 25.

Several stages of prisoner exchanges in this format have already taken place — June 9, 10, 12,14, 19, 20, 26, and July 4.

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