No quick breakthrough in ‘Complex’ Ukraine talks — Russia

Russia has downplayed hopes of any swift resolution in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, calling the negotiations “complex” and cautioning against expecting immediate progress.

“It would be wrong to expect immediate solutions and breakthroughs,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, a day after Moscow rejected Kyiv’s call for an unconditional ceasefire during talks in Istanbul.

The latest round of discussions lasted less than two hours and led to a large-scale prisoner swap agreement. Both sides also exchanged their respective peace proposals, referred to as “memorandums.”

Now entering its fourth year, the war has caused tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and displaced millions in eastern Ukraine. Despite occasional diplomatic engagements, the two parties remain far apart on core issues.

According to Russian state media, Moscow has demanded that Ukraine withdraw troops from four regions in the east and south that Russia claims to have annexed—a precondition for pausing its offensive. Instead of the full ceasefire Kyiv requested, Russia offered a limited truce lasting two to three days in certain frontline areas.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha dismissed the Russian proposals, accusing Moscow of recycling “old ultimatums” and avoiding any “meaningful formats for a ceasefire.”

Peskov also ruled out the possibility of a summit involving the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, and the United States anytime soon. “In the near future, it is unlikely,” he said, adding that such a meeting would only be possible after negotiators reach an agreement.

The White House had earlier said that U.S. President Donald Trump was “open” to such a summit—an idea also supported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Meanwhile, tensions escalated on the battlefield. Zelensky accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians in a missile strike on the city of Sumy, near the Russian border, which killed four people. “This attack says everything one needs to know about Russia’s so-called ‘desire’ to end this war,” Zelensky said, urging the U.S. and Europe to take stronger action.

Among the 20 injured in the Sumy strike was a seven-year-old girl, who remains in critical condition, according to local authorities. Three more people were killed in a separate attack in the Kharkiv region.

Russia’s military claimed it had captured the village of Andriivka in the Sumy region, roughly five kilometers from the border. Zelensky recently warned that Moscow is preparing for a major offensive there, with around 50,000 Russian troops massed in the area.

Ukraine’s SBU security service also claimed responsibility for a strike on a support pillar of the Crimean Bridge, which connects the annexed peninsula to mainland Russia, using an underwater explosive device. The extent of the damage remains unclear following a temporary closure of the bridge.

In Washington, a delegation of top Ukrainian officials arrived for high-level talks with U.S. counterparts focused on defense, economic assistance, and potential new sanctions on Russia.

Despite repeatedly claiming he could end the war quickly if re-elected, President Trump has yet to impose additional sanctions on Moscow. His frustration with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly grown as the war drags into its fourth year without resolution.