From: Transform Ukraine By Douglas Landro / July 21, 2025
As Zelensky Calls for New Talks and Russia Claims Readiness for “Quick” Negotiations, Moscow Prepares Unprecedented Drone Assault Capabilities While Ukrainian Forces Strike Back at the Heart of Russia
Summary of the Day – July 20, 2025
The war’s contradictions reached new heights as President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed fresh peace talks for next week while Germany revealed Russia’s chilling ambition to launch 2,000 drones in a single night by November. Moscow claimed readiness to “move quickly” on negotiations yet made clear its maximalist demands remain unchanged, even as Ukrainian drones struck the Russian capital for the fourth consecutive night. On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces advanced in key sectors while Russia pressed its own offensives, and cultural life persevered as Atlas Festival brought international music back to war-torn Kyiv. The day underscored the complex dance between diplomacy and destruction that defines this conflict’s current phase.
The Diplomatic Gambit: Zelensky’s Call for Leadership-Level Talks
President Zelensky announced Ukraine’s proposal for a new round of peace talks with Russia next week, marking the third potential meeting since bilateral negotiations resumed in Istanbul earlier this year. National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov extended the offer to Russia, with Zelensky emphasizing Ukraine’s readiness for talks “at the leadership level.”
“Dialogue with the Russian side on prisoner exchanges is ongoing — we are continuing to implement the agreements reached during the earlier meeting in Istanbul,” Zelensky stated in his nightly address. “Our team is currently working on another exchange.”
The proposal emerged one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Erdogan reportedly discussed resuming Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul. The previous two rounds of bilateral negotiations, held on May 16 and June 2, resulted in significant prisoner exchanges but failed to produce meaningful steps toward a ceasefire.
Zelensky stressed the urgency of accelerating negotiations, calling for “prisoner exchanges, return of children, end to the killings.” He emphasized that “a meeting at the level of leaders is needed to truly ensure peace — a really lasting one. Ukraine is ready for such a meeting.”
Moscow’s Hollow Promise: “Quick” Talks with Unchanged Goals
Even as diplomatic activity intensified, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov revealed the fundamental contradiction at the heart of Russian policy. Speaking to state media, Peskov claimed Russia is ready to “move quickly” with peace negotiations but insisted that Moscow must achieve its goals, which he declared are “obvious” and “do not change.”
Voice of Ukraine 