Zelenskyy Renews Putin Meeting Offer Amid Ongoing Ukraine Attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has renewed his offer to meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the ongoing war, despite Kremlin skepticism and Putin's prior refusals. The upcoming third round of talks, scheduled to be held in Istanbul, involves lower-level delegations, which Zelenskyy argues lack the political authority to halt the conflict. The Kremlin has downplayed expectations for significant breakthroughs, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that extensive preparatory work is needed before any high-level summit could occur, and reiterating that Ukraine must lift its formal ban on direct negotiations with Putin for such talks to proceed. The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council banned direct talks with Putin in 2022 to prevent unofficial back-channel communications, but the delegation for the upcoming talks will be led by former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Meanwhile, the conflict continues with Russia conducting nighttime attacks on Ukrainian cities, causing civilian casualties, including children. Although previous talks have led to prisoner exchanges, no substantial progress has been made toward ending the war, and Western efforts, including those from the Trump administration, have so far failed to overcome Putin's reluctance to compromise.