Der Spiegel: Kyiv’s proposal for Russia talks may be coordinated with US

Kyiv authorities may have coordinated their proposal to hold negotiations with Russia next week with the United States, Caliber.Az writes, citing the German Der Spiegel magazine.

“The new Ukrainian proposal may be backed by agreements with the U.S.,” the publication writes.

This is indicated, among other things, by the visit of U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg to Kyiv earlier this week, the article notes.

On July 19, Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, proposed that Moscow hold a new round of negotiations next week, as announced by President Zelenskyy on Telegram.

The first Russia-Ukraine ceasefire since the staart of the war ocurred in late March 2022, when high-level delegations from both sides met in Istanbul. The talks concluded with the Istanbul Communiqué—a draft peace framework proposing Ukraine’s neutrality (ending NATO aspirations), limiting foreign military presence, and establishing security guarantees from Russia and Western powers.

Following a three-year pause in direct negotiations, the first in-person talks resumed in Istanbul in May 2025. These talks, led by Rustem Umerov (Ukraine) and Vladimir Medinsky (Russia), concluded with an agreement on a large prisoner exchange involving 1,000 prisoners from each side and arrangements for the repatriation of thousands of bodies of fallen soldiers. 

In June 2025, the second round of talks took place in Istanbul, which lasted just over an hour and produced limited progress. The parties reaffirmed commitments to prisoner swaps and repatriation of bodies (6,000 each), but remained divided over a full ceasefire and core territorial issues, including the status of Crimea and Ukraine’s potential NATO membership. During this round, Ukraine also highlighted the issue of forcibly deported children, which Russia dismissed as a political show.

Throughout the conflict, Istanbul has emerged as the main diplomatic hub where Russia and Ukraine continue to engage, with Türkiye playing a key mediating role. Despite ongoing dialogue, fundamental disagreements remain over ceasefire conditions, territorial sovereignty, and security arrangements.

By Khagan Isayev