MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. Moscow and Kiev wrapped up a third round of talks in Istanbul, protests erupted in Ukraine over Zelensky’s new bill, and Donald Trump pushed through a sweeping trade deal with Japan. These stories topped Thursday's headlines across Russia.
A third round of direct talks between Moscow and Kiev in 2025 wrapped up in Istanbul. The negotiations lasted about 40 minutes. According to Russian news agencies, the round will not be resumed. The talks were held in Russian.
Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led Moscow’s delegation, said that the humanitarian agreements concluded at the second round of the talks had been fulfilled. In particular, Russia returned to Kiev the bodies of over 7,000 Ukrainian officers and soldiers.
Ahead of the negotiations, the Kremlin said that discussions with the Ukrainian side will involve the issues related to those draft memorandums exchanged during the second round as well as the continuation of the vital process of mutual swaps. The two delegations exchanged the memorandums on June 2. On July 23, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that they are "diametrically opposing."
For instance, an immediate ceasefire demanded by Ukraine is unacceptable for Russia as Moscow considers it a pause for the Ukrainian army, Nikolay Silayev, senior research fellow at the Institute for International Studies of MGIMO University, told Vedomosti. It won’t be possible to bring closer the positions on political issues, noted Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics Dmitry Suslov. Ukraine insists on the agenda with the immediate ceasefire and preparations for a meeting between leaders in order to signal to US President Donald Trump that Moscow is unreliable.
