Russia says Ukraine peace talks not stalled despite new US arms deliveries

Russian officials say they do not consider the peace negotiation process over Ukraine to have stalled, even after the recent resumption of American weapons deliveries to Kyiv, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has remarked.

Peskov emphasised that Moscow is awaiting Kyiv’s position regarding the next round of talks, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“We still need to wait for some signals from Kyiv, from Kyiv’s representatives, about their willingness or unwillingness to enter a third round of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations,” the Kremlin spokesman told journalists.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict, ongoing since February 2022, saw early negotiations in Istanbul in March–April 2022, producing the Istanbul Communiqué, which proposed Ukrainian neutrality and security guarantees but collapsed due to Russia’s demands for demilitarization and territorial concessions. Talks resumed in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2, 2025, under U.S. pressure, resulting in prisoner swaps (1,000 per side and 6,000 bodies exchanged) but no ceasefire. Russia’s insistence on recognizing annexed territories (Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia) and Ukraine’s demand for full withdrawal remain key obstacles.

On July 7, 2025, the Trump administration announced the resumption of military aid to Ukraine, reversing a partial pause initiated the previous week due to Pentagon concerns over dwindling U.S. stockpiles. The decision followed President Donald Trump’s expression of frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s escalation, particularly after a massive Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv on July 9–10, which killed two people and injured 23. The resumed shipments included critical defensive weapons such as Patriot missiles, GMLRS rockets, air defense interceptors, and artillery shells, aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s ability to counter Russian aerial bombardments. Trump’s announcement came after a July 4 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, described by Zelenskyy as “extremely productive,” focusing on urgent air defense needs.people

By Khagan Isayev