Russia wants to prioritize its own interests in talks with Ukraine

 
Russia intends to prioritize its national interests during the upcoming third round of negotiations with Ukraine, despite US President Donald Trump's 50-day peace ultimatum; talks on the release of over 10,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli custody have stalled; and the United States has announced its decision to withdraw from UNESCO, effective December 2026. These stories topped Wednesday's newspaper headlines across Russia, reports TASS.

The third round of Russian-Ukrainian talks is expected to take place in Istanbul later this week. According to media reports, the meeting is scheduled for the evening of July 23 in Istanbul, though the exact date and time are still being finalized. Moscow will be driven by its national interests at the upcoming negotiations with Kiev, despite the country noting Donald Trump's call to achieve peace with Ukraine within 50 days, Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, told Izvestia. Experts interviewed by the newspaper believe Trump's ultimatum is unlikely to affect the upcoming talks, as his past statements often failed to materialize.

"We understand, we are aware of it, we acknowledge [Trump's ultimatum]. But we are primarily led by our national interests and the interests of maintaining international stability," Grigory Karasin told Izvestia. 

One of the central topics of the talks is expected to be a discussion of the draft memorandums exchanged by both parties following the second round. According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, both delegations have a great deal of work ahead of them before any potential high-level meeting between Russia and Ukraine can be considered.

Experts believe that Trump's ultimatum should not be interpreted literally. The President of the United States has made numerous statements in the past that ultimately never materialized, member of Russia's Council on Interethnic Relations Bogdan Bezpalko told the newspaper.

At the same time, should the American leader move forward with imposing tariffs on Russia and its trading partners, it could disrupt global trade and logistics chains. However, Trump's statements and appeals are unlikely to change the course of the third round of talks, as the two sides hold fundamentally divergent negotiating positions.

>>Agency