Ukraine's Zelensky offers Russia more talks next week

Ukraine and Russia have held two rounds of talks in Istanbul over the past five months. They have agreed to exchange prisoners, but have not achieved any progress in ending the conflict almost three and a half years that began with Russia's invasion in 2022.

Whatever must be done to reach a “ceasefire, Zelensky said in his evening speech to the nation. “The Russian side must stop hiding decisions”, he added, Reuters, broadcast Periscope.

The president said Rustem Umerov, who headed the Ukrainian delegation to both talks in Istanbul, had submitted the Russian side's offer to hold the meeting next week, but did not provide more details.

Umerov, a former defence minister, was appointed last week as head of the National Security and Protection Council and was tasked with giving more momentum to negotiations.

Russia has continued a severe offensive along the eastern front in Ukraine's Donnetsk region. She has repeatedly said she is ready for a new round of talks, but has not withdrawn from what Kiev and its allies describe as her maximum war goals. /Periscope