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Russian and Ukrainian arbitrators will sit in person for the preliminary of direct peace talks in between the warring nations given that March 2022.
Hopes of a conference in between Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at the Istanbul talks were rushed when the Kremlin exposed its list of delegates, validating the Russian president would not be signing up with.
The Ukrainian president had actually provided to satisfy Putin face to face for the very first time given that 2019, goading the Russian leader by questioning if he was brave enough to appear.
It is uncertain whether Mr Zelensky – who remains in Turkey for a conference with president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara – will sign up with the talks. He formerly stated he was not prepared to speak with anybody however Putin.
The United States the other day stated it would send out unique envoy Steve Witkoff and secretary of state Marco Rubio to the settlements, however Donald Trump has actually excused himself.
Russia has actually turned down Ukraine’s duplicated deal of an extensive, genuine 30-day ceasefire which Mr Zelensky states would enable correct peace settlements to occur. Moscow states a lot of its maximalist needs have actually not been fulfilled.
As talks get underway on Thursday, here’s a take a look at the existing state of play on the battleground.
Eastern frontline Russia focuses most of its attacks on Ukraine’s eastern frontline, especially the Donetsk area where it introduces lots of attacks every day. It transported the bulk of its forces towards the east and south, after withdrawing from northern Ukraine in the war’s early months.
Moscow’s war device grinds forward in a war of attrition, suffering considerable troop losses for the sake of fairly incremental territorial gains.
Russian advances have actually slowed in current months, as Kyiv’s forces ferociously protect a greatly strengthened frontline – and in current weeks have actually even introduced small counterattacks of its own.
There has actually not been a lot of motion on the eastern frontline in the previous 2 years, however Russia continues to advance village-by-village.
Kursk Moscow declares it has actually pressed Ukrainian soldiers out of Kursk, after Ukrainian soldiers smashed through the border in a surprise attack in August 2024. Kyiv stated it had actually taken more than 1,000 square kilometres of the Russian area surrounding northeast Ukraine.
Russian forces progressively pressed back for months, releasing countless North Korean soldiers sent out by totalitarian Kim Jong-un to improve their workforce.
In March 2025, a quick advance saw Ukrainian control over Kursk collapse, with Vladimir Putin declaring within weeks that Russia had actually driven Kyiv’s soldiers totally from the area.
Battling continues in little pockets of Kursk and the Belgorod area on its southern border, however Ukrainian control is now extremely minimal.
Crimea Crimea, Ukraine’s southern peninsula which Russia unlawfully inhabited in 2014, was a crucial sticking point throughout previous settlements.
A round of extreme shuttle bus diplomacy in between Washington, Kyiv and Moscow in April laid bare the plain distinctions in position over the area.
Mr Zelensky had actually triggered anger from the White Home after mentioning of Crimea: “There is absolutely nothing to discuss– it is our land, the land of the Ukrainian individuals.”.
A proposed United States peace offer, exposed last month, consisted of the legal acknowledgment by Washington of Russian control over Crimea. It is uncertain whether the United States propositions are set to be gone over on Friday.
April peace propositions In April, both the United States and Europe released their own sets of propositions for peace in Ukraine.
Together with a legal acknowledgment of Russia’s control in Crimea, Washington proposed de facto United States acknowledgment of Russian control of the occupied eastern Ukrainian area of Luhansk and parts of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson, all of which push the frontline.
It is uncertain where the lines of separation would be, and whether Washington was requiring that Ukraine deliver all of the land presently inhabited by Russia in the areas of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kherson.
Ukraine would gain back area in the northeastern Kharkiv area, the propositions state, together with control of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear reactor through United States control and administration of the plant. Electrical energy would be provided to both Ukraine and Russia.
European and Ukrainian allies reacted with their own set of propositions, in which they stated that “territorial concerns will be gone over and solved after a complete and genuine ceasefire”.
Territorial settlements would begin with the basis of the line of control – however Ukraine would be ensured control of the Zaporizhzhia plant with United States participation.
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