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Russia has said it is unlikely to agree to a peace deal despite fresh ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine this week.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “There is no reason to expect any breakthroughs in the category of miracles – it is hardly possible in the current situation.”
The third round of talks are set to take place in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday after previous summits n May and June failed to yield any results.
“We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning,” Mr Peskov said.
Meanwhile, Russia is driving hard to break through at eastern and northeastern points on the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. It is also firing upwards of 700 drones a night at Ukrainian cities.
On Tuesday, Russian troops killed three people, including a 10-year-old boy, in overnight drone and missile attacks.
The civilians were killed in Donetsk, including a child in Kramatorsk, after Russia launched 42 drones, including Iranian-made Shaheds, on Tuesday morning, according to officials.
At least 26 drones were shot down, and seven more were lost or suppressed by electronic warfare systems. Around 24 people were injured.
Alexander Butler22 July 2025 17:00
Alexander Butler22 July 2025 16:00
Alexander Butler22 July 2025 15:30
Ukraine’s allies are looking to see whether some member states in the European Union could supply Ukraine with five Patriot missile defence systems, of which Germany is willing to finance two, Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday.
Pistorius said Germany would have been willing to give two of its own systems to Ukraine but needed reassurance that it could replace them within six to eight months.
“We are now looking for solutions that will allow us to identify Patriot systems in member states in Europe,” he said.
“So, it’s not hopeless, but the prerequisite is that countries that have them are prepared to hand them over now so that others can pay for them and they can go to Ukraine,” he added.
Alexander Butler22 July 2025 15:00
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has renewed his call to meet Vladimir Putin face to face as Russia cast doubt on fresh peace talks being held this week.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine was working to “prepare a leaders’ meeting aimed at truly bringing this war to an end”, as the Kremlin said it did not expect any breakthroughs from fresh negotiations being held in Istanbul on Wednesday.
“Our position is fully transparent. Ukraine never wanted this war, and it is Russia that must end the war that it started,” the Ukrainian president said.
In May, Mr Zelensky challenged the Russian leader to meet him, saying he would be waiting in Turkey for him “personally”.
But on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was unlikely to agree to a peace deal and would continue “pursuing our interests”.
Alexander Butler22 July 2025 14:45
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that there was no basis to expect miracles from a proposed third round of direct Russian-Ukrainian peace talks, and declined to give any time frame for a potential agreement to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Kyiv has sent Moscow an offer to hold another round of peace talks in Turkey this week, and that he wants to speed up negotiations for a ceasefire.
“There is no reason to expect any breakthroughs in the category of miracles – it is hardly possible in the current situation,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
“We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning.”
Asked if he could give a sense of how the Kremlin saw the potential time frame of a possible peace agreement, Mr Peskov said he could give no guidance on timing.
“There is a lot of work to be done before we can talk about the possibility of some top-level meetings,” Mr Peskov added, a day after Zelenskiy renewed a call for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Alexander Butler22 July 2025 14:18
Alexander Butler22 July 2025 13:57
Ukraine’s state energy firm Naftogaz has said a Russian drone attack damaged its facilities overnight.
“This is another massive attack on gas production infrastructure. Such attacks occur regularly. These objects are of no military significance,” the company’s CEO, Sergii Koretski, said on Facebook.
Steffie Banatvala22 July 2025 13:45
Four pro-Russian parties in Moldova have said they will form a bloc in order to secure victory in September’s parliamentary election and beat the current pro-European government.
The vote, scheduled for September 28, could see President Maia Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity unable to secure a majority in the ex-Soviet state lying between Ukraine and Romania.
The bloc will merge the Party of Socialists, headed by former president Igor Dodon, the Heart of Moldova and Future of Moldova parties, as well as the Communist Party.
“We are in favour of re-establishing strategic ties with Russia. We want peace, not war … Our bloc will put an end to foreign interests and NATO,” Dodon said.
Steffie Banatvala22 July 2025 13:30