Moscow’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, announced that Russia has proposed a 24- to 48-hour ceasefire to Kyiv, aimed at allowing both sides to retrieve their dead and wounded. The proposal was confirmed by AFP and BGNES.
“Once again, we offered the Ukrainian side a short truce of 24 to 48 hours along the front lines so that medical teams could retrieve the wounded, and commanders could recover the bodies of their soldiers,” Medinsky stated at a press conference.
Despite this humanitarian initiative, Medinsky admitted that the positions of Moscow and Kyiv on ending the war remain deeply divergent. “We discussed in detail the positions outlined in the memoranda exchanged during the previous round. The differences are significant. Still, we agreed to continue our communication,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has proposed a high-level summit between the leaders of both countries, aimed at achieving a resolution to the war by the end of the upcoming month. Ukrainian chief negotiator Rustem Umerov made the announcement following the third round of talks in Istanbul, as reported by Reuters and BTA.
“Ukraine is ready for a ceasefire,” Umerov said at a press briefing, urging Russia to “adopt a constructive and realistic approach.”
On July 23, Russia and Ukraine began a new round of negotiations in Istanbul. However, the Kremlin downplayed expectations for a breakthrough in the nearly four-year-long conflict, according to BGNES. A Ukrainian delegation source confirmed that preliminary talks were held between both heads of delegation and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan ahead of the main negotiations. Fidan called on both parties to end the “bloody war” as soon as possible. “Our goal is to end this war, which has come at an extremely high cost, as quickly as possible. The ultimate aim is a ceasefire that paves the way for lasting peace,” he said.
In a notable development, a member of the Russian delegation confirmed that both sides have agreed to a reciprocal exchange of 1,200 prisoners of war.
Later in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that a new group of Ukrainian soldiers previously held by Russia had returned home. According to reports from BTA, Reuters, and the Ukrainian agency UNIAN, the number of Ukrainian troops freed in this latest round brings the total repatriated through the Istanbul negotiations to over 1,000.
In a Telegram message, Zelensky stated that the group included seriously wounded and ill soldiers.
“The soldiers returning today defended Ukraine on various front lines. Many of them spent over three years in captivity. They are now receiving the medical care and support they need,” Zelensky said.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense released footage of returning Russian servicemen holding flags at the prisoner exchange zone in Belarus.