New round of Ukraine, Russia peace talks planned
|
A third round of peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials is planned to take place Wednesday in Turkey, according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
|
“Today, I discussed with Rustem Umerov the preparations for the exchange and another meeting in Turkey with the Russian side. Umerov reported that the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,” Zelensky said during his daily address Monday, referring to the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
But TASS, the Russian state-run news agency, reported Monday that the next round of talks between Ukraine and Russia will be Thursday, citing a source.
“The meeting is scheduled for July 24. The delegations may arrive in Istanbul on July 23,” the news agency quoted the source as saying.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov played down expectations for the meeting, saying Russia does not expect to achieve a “miraculous breakthrough.”
He said during a Tuesday press briefing that Russia intends to “pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning.”
The nations have held two rounds of peace talks in Istanbul so far — on May 16 and June 2 — and the discussions have led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners, but there has been little to no progress on a potential ceasefire agreement.
Since the last round of talks, which took place nearly two months ago, Russia issued a memo outlining conditions for reaching a ceasefire, including: Having Ukraine’s military disarm and agree to Russia’s annexation of four regions in Ukraine that were overtaken since Moscow launched its invasion more than three years ago, regions the Russian military has struggled to maintain.
The upcoming talks also come as President Trump has pressed for forging peace in the region and has in recent weeks been increasingly critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying in a recent interview with the BBC that he is “disappointed” with the Kremlin’s leader, but not “done with him.”
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
|
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
|
Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.
|
|
|
How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:
|
New Pentagon rules limits medical waivers to join military
|
|
|
The Pentagon has issued new rules that would prevent people currently treated for schizophrenia, congestive heart failure, having a donated organ or some other issues from receiving a medical waiver to serve in the military, according to a new memo revealed Tuesday. The guidance, signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and dated July 11, updates the list of conditions that prevent potential recruits from joining the armed …
|
|
|
|
Golden Dome set to get another $13B as project leader takes helm
|
|
|
President Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense project officially has a new team lead and gained potentially another $13 billion, setting the effort on a race to hit its ambitious three-year timeline. The office will be led by Vice Chief of Space Operations Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, unanimously confirmed by the Senate on Thursday as the first Golden Dome for America Direct Reporting Program Manager, according to a Pentagon …
|
|
|
|
Iran’s foreign minister: US strikes ‘destroyed’ nuclear facilities
|
|
|
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during a recent interview that the U.S.’s strikes last month “destroyed” Tehran’s nuclear facilities and that the country will not refrain from continuing to enrich uranium. “It is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe. But obviously we cannot give up [on] enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists. And now, more than that, it is a question …
|
|
|
|
Air Force blames air traffic controllers for near miss involving B-52 bomber
|
|
|
Air traffic controllers at a North Dakota airport didn’t tell the crew of an Air Force B-52 bomber that a commercial airliner was flying in the same area, causing a near miss between the planes, according to the military. In a statement released Monday evening, the Air Force said the B-52 crew told Minot International Airport’s air traffic control that the bomber was nearing the area where a SkyWest Airlines pilot …
|
|
|
|
Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
|
Acting ICE director fires back at Hunter Biden
|
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acting director Todd Lyons on Wednesday slammed Hunter Biden, the son of former President Biden, over recent comments he made about immigration. “That’s just idiotic. It’s dumb. You know, to make comments like that is crazy, because under the …
|
|
|
Upcoming things we’re watching in and around the defense world:
|
- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on “Dismantling Transnational Criminal Organizations,” at 10 a.m.
-
The House Armed Services Committee will hear from defense officials on “Reforming Defense Acquisition to Deliver Capability at the Speed of Relevance,” at 10 a.m.
-
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China will have a hearing on “Stand with Taiwan: Countering the PRC’s Political Warfare and Transnational Repression,” at 10 a.m.
-
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies will hold an event on “Surveying the U.S. Counterterrorism Landscape with Dr. Sebastian Gorka,” at 12 p.m.
-
A Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee will hold a hearing on “U.S. Diplomatic Strategies for a Dynamic Middle East,” at 2:30 p.m.
|
|
|
News we’ve flagged from other outlets:
|
- Trump intervenes to boost Hegseth aide who left military for politics (The Washington Post)
-
The Pentagon’s Golden Dome program office is hiring (Military Times)
-
Marine officer who faced charges for criticizing military leaders now leads promotion review (Military.com)
|
|
|
Op-ed related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:
|
-
Yet another Trump ultimatum falls flat in Moscow
|
|
|
|
You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!
|
Close
if ( window.checkSizeClasses && window.checkSizeClasses instanceof Function) {
window.checkSizeClasses();
}
| | |
