From: Transform Ukraine By Douglas Landro / July 24, 2025
As Ukrainian and Russian delegations meet for the third time in Istanbul, Zelensky’s controversial anti-corruption law sparks nationwide protests and threatens EU membership aspirations while battlefield exchanges continue across multiple fronts
Summary of the Day – July 23, 2025
Ukraine found itself at a critical juncture on July 23, caught between the promise of peace negotiations and the peril of democratic backsliding. While Ukrainian and Russian delegations conducted their third round of talks in Istanbul—lasting less than an hour but producing agreements on prisoner exchanges—domestic turmoil erupted over President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to sign legislation that effectively dismantles the independence of Ukraine’s premier anti-corruption institutions. The law triggered nationwide protests and sharp criticism from European partners, threatening Ukraine’s EU accession prospects even as the country continues to defend itself on multiple fronts where Russian forces maintain pressure despite suffering significant casualties.
The Istanbul Gambit: An Hour of Diplomacy, Years of Division
Ukrainian and Russian delegations sat across from each other in Istanbul for less than an hour on July 23, their third meeting in a series that began in May. National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation alongside Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya, and deputy military intelligence chief Vadym Skybytskyi, proposing a summit between Zelensky and Putin before the end of August.
Voice of Ukraine 