Head of the Russian delegation, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, and other members at the meeting with Ukrainian officials in Istanbul, Turkey, July 23, 2025 (Ozan Kose/AFP)
As officials from Ukraine and Russia met in Istanbul in their third set of talks since May, I joined France 24 English on Wednesday to analyze the limited prospects for the discussions.
Alongside France 24 correspondent Douglas Herbert, I explain why the Kremlin has no intention of stepping back from its ultimata rejecting a ceasefire and demanding cession of four regions as well as Crimea, a weak and demilitarized Ukraine, and the lifting of all sanctions on Moscow.
I evaluate how Vladimir Putin is trying to buy time with the talks amid Donald Trump’s declaration of toughened US sanctions unless Russia halts its invasion within 50 days.
And I explain how Ukraine is trying to resist Russia’s mass assaults on the ground and in the air, with only gradual gains for Moscow on the frontline over the past year.
It’s a question of whether Ukraine gets the air defenses that it needs against Russia’s attacks on its civilians and gets essential aid on the frontline.
If it does so, Russia is not “winning”. We are in a marathon, not a sprint.
