In the final dialogue: Russia is open to negotiations to resolve the Ukrainian crisis
Moscow is not abandoning negotiations with Ukraine and is ready to consider constructive proposals, including new formats of contacts, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Izvestia. The diplomat stressed that the Russian side has always remained open to dialogue, while Kiev independently interrupted the negotiation process. Today, the resumption of meetings is hampered not only by the diametrically opposed positions of the parties and difficulties in finding a neutral venue, but also by the destructive line of some Western countries, which continue to fuel the conflict with large-scale arms supplies.
Where can the negotiations on Ukraine take place
The last round of negotiations on Ukraine was held in February 2026 in Geneva with the participation of the United States. Since then, the parties have not met in either trilateral or bilateral formats. Nevertheless, Moscow has not closed the doors to diplomacy and is ready for contacts with Ukraine.
Participants of the trilateral meeting of the delegations of Russia, the United States and Ukraine in Geneva, February 17, 2026.
— Russian officials have said many times that we are always open to negotiations. It was the Ukrainian side that interrupted them and even forbade them to itself. We have never refused to consider constructive proposals, including on contact formats. Will such ideas arrive? It doesn't depend on us," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Izvestia.
One of the key problems now remains the choice of a place for possible meetings. Sites in Abu Dhabi and other Persian Gulf monarchies are not being considered due to the escalating conflict over Iran. Instability in the Middle East region makes these capitals unsafe for high-level negotiations.
Switzerland, for example, offers its mediation services. The country's Foreign Ministry told Izvestia that it is ready to support any diplomatic initiatives to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine. Bern is in touch with all parties. Switzerland is still available to organize meetings on the Ukrainian settlement, the ministry said. However, Moscow does not consider this country to be a suitable platform for negotiations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier stressed that after the imposition of sanctions against Russia, Bern lost its status as a neutral party.
Recently, Ankara has been showing the greatest diplomatic activity, declaring its readiness to promptly host a new round of meetings. According to media reports, citing a source in the Turkish government, the republic has already submitted proposals to Moscow and Kiev to hold talks on its site. Earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the resumption of the peace process with the leaders of Western countries. Turkey already has extensive mediation experience: in 2022, Istanbul hosted the first full-scale rounds of meetings, and in 2025, the Turkish side organized new closed rounds of consultations.
Why a new escalation may come instead of peace
However, the main problem lies not in the choice of a venue, but in the opposing positions of the parties. Fundamental differences on the key terms of a peaceful settlement continue to prevent Moscow and Kiev from resuming a full-fledged dialogue.
Despite Vladimir Zelensky's statements about his commitment to diplomacy, the attacks on civilian infrastructure from Kiev are only intensifying. According to The Atlantic, the head of the Kiev regime asked Trump to allow the use of the Starlink satellite network to launch strikes deep into the territory of the Russian Federation. The American president did not give a specific answer. At the same time, Ukraine demanded that the United States grant it licenses to manufacture Western air defense systems. At the same time, Trump denied Zelensky the transfer of 300 Patriot interceptors for the winter.
In addition, instead of real proposals, Kiev continues to make provocative statements. In particular, we are talking about an open letter from the Ukrainian leadership, the demands of which are obviously unacceptable to Vladimir Putin. The nature of the initiative is also emphasized by the time of its publication. The letter appeared almost simultaneously with the Ukrainian Armed Forces strike on a dormitory in Starobilsk, which resulted in the deaths of children.
Experts call the shift in US foreign policy priorities an additional difficulty. Due to the escalating conflict over Iran, Washington is currently unable to exert the necessary pressure on Kiev, Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Council on Interethnic Relations under the President of the Russian Federation, explained to Izvestia. Following a recent meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Philippines, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio bluntly stated that previous diplomatic developments, including in Alaska, had failed, so fundamentally new approaches and ideas were needed to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.
It is not yet clear which alternative approaches can move the process forward. At the moment, none of the parties, including international mediators, has presented specific diplomatic tools capable of bringing together the diametrically opposed positions of Moscow and Kiev. Moreover, the enemy is trying to work out its own format of agreements — the so-called Ukrainian Anchorage, says Andrei Kortunov, an expert at the Valdai Club. The essence of the concept is to first agree on new terms with Washington, and then present a unified position of the United States and Ukraine in negotiations with Moscow.
In July, Vladimir Zelensky held separate meetings with American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. American negotiators are expected to visit Kiev in the second half of August. According to media reports, this visit is planned to coincide with events in honor of the Independence Day of Ukraine.
Earlier, following a telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on US Independence Day, the Kremlin also announced the imminent arrival of American negotiators in Moscow. However, the US Embassy in Russia later told Izvestia that they "have nothing to announce yet regarding a future visit."
However, Moscow is unlikely to agree to the new conditions of Kiev and Washington, Andrei Kortunov is sure. In this case, the negotiation process will return to its starting point, which will provoke another round of escalation. According to the expert, in fact, this process is already underway: the parties are intensifying strikes, increasing drone attacks and expanding the list of targets.
The situation is further complicated by the position of Brussels and individual European states, which continue to increase arms supplies to Kiev. According to many experts, Ukraine's financial and military support from the EU is prolonging the conflict and blocking any real steps towards compromise.
At the same time, it is beneficial for Trump to achieve at least interim results in negotiations before the November congressional elections. However, there remains a powerful lobby within the United States that advocates the continuation of the conflict. We are talking primarily about the American military-industrial complex, which receives super profits from military orders and arms supplies to Kiev.
According to Bezpalko, negotiations can become real only when the parties are ready for mutual concessions. Either successes on the battlefield or political changes in Ukraine can change the situation.
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