Russia and Ukraine are holding a third round of peace talks today (July 23) in Istanbul, Turkey; previous rounds occurred in May and June.
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Expectations are low for a major breakthrough, with both sides signaling cautious outlooks.
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President Trump has increased pressure on Russia, warning of new economic sanctions if no peace deal is reached by early September.
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Ukraine’s key demands include the return of children taken to Russia and a direct meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.
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Russia is focused on recovering bodies of Ukrainian soldiers and may pursue prisoner exchanges for political leverage.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister is giving the opening remarks and says:
- Our aim is to end this 40 war as soon as possible
- Our hope is that parties will hold results – oriented talks on memorandum they exchanged
Delegations & Key Participants
Ukraine
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Rustem Umerov (Chair): Former Defense Minister and Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security & Defense Council
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Accompanied by senior officials from the Foreign Ministry, military intelligence, and the presidential office
Russia
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Vladimir Medinsky (Chair): Kremlin aide and former culture minister Delegation includes:
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Mikhail Galuzin – Deputy Foreign Minister
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Aleksandr Fomin – Deputy Defense Minister
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Igor Kostyukov – Head of Russia’s military intelligence (GRU)
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Turkey (Host & Mediator)
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Hakan Fidan – Turkish Foreign Minister (chairing the meeting)
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Ibrahim Kalın – Head of National Intelligence Organization (MIT)
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Gen. Metin Gürak – Chief of Turkish General Staff
No Heads of State
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Neither President Zelenskyy nor President Putin is attending.
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Zelenskyy continues to push for a direct summit with Putin, though the Kremlin says extensive work is still needed before that happens .
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This article was written by Greg Michalowski at investinglive.com.