Thousands of small flags, mainly of Ukraine, but also from other countries, cover a significant part of the Plaza de la Independencia in the heart of Kyiv. Beyond reflecting a patriotic fervor, essential in times of war, Each flag represents a fallen soldier in the fight against Russian in large scale, which It extends for almost 41 months. The surrounding city remains vibrant and full of energy, imperturbable to the almost daily attacks with Russian drones and missiles, but the flags symbolize the high cost necessary to contain the invading army.
While the delegations of Russia and Ukraine met, For the third time this yearin the Turkish city of Istanbul, the hopes of an advance were scarce among the inhabitants of the Ukrainian capital. “What Russia does daily, with her drones and missiles attacking incessantly, says more than a thousand words about her true desire for peace,” he said OLENAa 30 -year -old translator while contemplating the memorial.
A high immediate fire remains the priority of Ukraine, said the president Volodimir Zelenski On Wednesday after another russian mass attack that left more than 220 thousand residents in the northeast region of Sumi without electricity. Russia has also maintained intense pressure on the front, where its troops 167 assaults launched in the previous 24 hoursespecially near the city of Pokrovsk and other areas of the Donetsk region, in eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian representatives were expected to insist on the need for A HIGH IMMEDIATE AND TOTAL FIREincluding the cessation of attacks on civil infrastructure, said Zelenski while his delegation prepared for the meeting.
As in the two previous meetings in the Turkish city, on May 16 and June 2, the Ukrainian delegation was led by Rustem umerovformer Minister of Defense and current head of the country’s Security and Defense Council. Vladimir Medinskihistorian and advisor to Vladimir Putin, was his counterpart for the third time. Both delegations included several military representatives and medium -level state officials.
The meeting was not expected to achieve a significant advance towards peace, with possible exceptions on issues such as The return of Ukrainian prisoners of war and the thousands of deported children or separated from their families by Russia. Both countries retain an unknown number of captured enemy soldiers, even after possibly hundreds returned to their homes after the exchanges agreed in the previous negotiations in Türkiye.
Ukraine has also accused Russia of deliberately delaying The return of about 18 thousand Ukrainian children to their families or legal tutors in Ukraine and to submit them to a rusification process, which has been corroborated by multiple testimonies of freed children and reports of human rights defenders.
Ukraine seeks meeting between Putin and Zelenski
However, sources from the Zelenski presidential office informed the local media that the Ukrainian delegation would try to set the Bases for a possible meeting between leaders of the countries in conflict. Only such a encounter could end the war, Zelenski has reiterated on several occasions, noting that low -level delegations cannot exceed the deep differences between the positions of Kyiv and Moscow, when all key decisions take a single person: Vladimir Putin.
Dmitri Peskov, Putin spokesman, said Wednesday that such a meeting could be considered a step in the preparation of these conversations. However, Moscow has made it clear that this meeting would be meaningless to Less than Zelenski and Ukraine accept the Russian demands.
Russia has rejected, on multiple previous occasions, a high fire that Ukraine and its international partners consider An indispensable condition For genuine peace negotiations, arguing that this would allow Ukraine to rearm and mobilize more soldiers
The absence of forceful sanctions against Russia In response to his refusal, he has only emboldened it, according to Ukrainian analysts, who point out that Moscow probably does not perceive the threat of US President Donald Trump to impose sanctions “in 50 days.” Russia is willing to participate in conversations or make minimum concessions in humanitarian matters, provided that this helps you avoid more severe actions by the United States and other governments.
“There will not be a real advance in negotiations with Russia until the Kremlin feels powerful sanctions and military coercion,” he wrote Wednesday Myjailo PodoliakZelenski advisor. He argues that the international partners of Ukraine understand this and emphasizes that the approach is to increase the pressure on Russia while the abilities of Ukraine are extended to attack enemy military facilities in their territory.
By participating in the negotiations, Ukraine seeks to achieve at least something, such as freeing its citizens from Russian captivity, and demonstrating to its western partners that Moscow is, and not Kyiv, the true obstacle to peace.