Ukraine peace talks to resume in Turkey on Wednesday, says Zelenskyy
"Today I discussed with Rustem Umerov the preparation for a prisoner exchange and another meeting with the Russian side in Turkey," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address."Umerov reported that the meeting is planned for Wednesday. More details will follow tomorrow."Umerov, previously defence minister and appointed Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council last week, headed the first two rounds of talks with Russia.An unidentified source had earlier told Russian state news agency TASS that negotiators may meet in Turkey on Thursday and Friday.Zelenskyy earlier told a gathering of his diplomats in Kyiv: "We need greater momentum in negotiations to end the war."He added: "The agenda from our side is clear: the return of prisoners of war, the return of children abducted by Russia, and the preparation of a leaders' meeting."Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is under increasing pressure from US President Donald Trump to show progress towards ending the conflict, turned down a previous challenge from Zelenskyy to meet him in person.Putin has repeatedly said he does not see Zelenskyy as a legitimate leader because Ukraine, which is under martial law, did not hold new elections when his five-year mandate expired last year.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "There is our draft memorandum, there is a draft memorandum that has been handed over by the Ukrainian side. There is to be an exchange of views and talks on these two drafts, which are diametrically opposed so far."Ukraine and Russia have held two rounds of talks in Istanbul, on May 16 and June 2, that led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But the two sides have made no breakthrough towards a ceasefire or a settlement to end almost three and a half years of war.Trump said last week he would impose new sanctions in 50 days on Russia and countries that buy its exports if there is no deal before then to end the conflict.- EndsMust Watch
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Russia-Ukraine war: Istanbul talks fail to go beyond prisoner swap, eyes on summit proposal
Under the deal, Russia and Ukraine would swap 250 prisoners of war each. Ukraine's former defence minister Rustem Umerov, who led the talks in Istanbul, said that the two sides have also agreed to 'exchange of at least 1,200 more prisoners of war from each side in the near future' read more Chief of the Turkish General Staff, Metin Gurak, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Turkey's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin attend a meeting at Ciragan Palace on the day of the third round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, in Istanbul, Turkey, July 23, 2025. Reuters The Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul did not yield a breakthrough, except that both sides agreed to initiate another round of prisoner exchange. While the one-hour-long meeting was largely unsuccessful, Kyiv said that it has agreed to a prisoner swap with Moscow that is currently in process along the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. Under the deal, Russia and Ukraine would swap 250 prisoners of war each. Ukraine's former defence minister Rustem Umerov, who led the talks in Istanbul, said that the two sides have also agreed to 'exchange of at least 1,200 more prisoners of war from each side in the near future'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The two earlier rounds of talks held in Istanbul, in May and June, led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the return of fallen soldiers' remains, but achieved little progress toward a lasting peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram that so far around 1,000 PoWs have returned home. 'Bringing all our people back is a priority for the state and we will continue all efforts to ensure that all our people return from captivity.' Why were the talks unsuccessful? The meeting between the two delegations in Istanbul came after US President Donald Trump gave an ultimatum to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to end the war in 50 days or face 'very severe tariffs.' Umerov said that while he had proposed an in-person summit between Zelenskyy and Putin, Russia rejected the bid, saying such a meeting would only be appropriate if the two sides sign an agreement, according to Reuters. The two sides also remained divided over the terms of any potential ceasefire, with Umerov stating that Ukraine was seeking a 'full and unconditional ceasefire as a necessary basis for effective diplomacy,' while Russia proposed a series of short ceasefires lasting between 24 and 48 hours along the front line to allow medical teams to retrieve dead and wounded soldiers. Trump deadline The two sides previously met in the Turkish city in May and June, but at those talks managed to agree only on other exchanges of prisoners and soldiers' bodies. Trump last week gave Russia 50 days to end the war or face sanctions, but the Kremlin has not indicated it is willing to compromise. 'No one expects an easy road. It will be very difficult,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about his expectations for the talks. Opening the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said: 'Our aim is to end this bloody war, which has a very high cost, as soon as possible.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He added: 'The ultimate goal is a ceasefire that will pave the way for peace.' With inputs from agencies
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First Post
28 minutes ago
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Tulsi Gabbard alleges Obama 'manufactured' intel on Russian plot in 2016 polls, but critics question her report
US Director National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard claims that former US President Barack Obama and his team manufactured intelligence on Russian interference in 2016 polls. However, critics are questioning her assertion. read more Tulsi Gabbard in the past has been a staunch opponent of US interventionism in West Asia. Reuters On Wednesday, the US Department of Justice announced the formation of a task force to look into unsubstantiated allegations by US President Donald Trump against former US President Barack Obama. The announcement came hours after the US Director of National Intelligence questioned Obama and his aides for ordering an investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign and its connection to Russia. A day after Trump accused Obama of treason over the intelligence assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to support Trump, Gabbard declassified a highly sensitive congressional report she claimed was more evidence of a 'treasonous conspiracy.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The release of the redacted report, which was written during the first Trump term by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, was seen as the Trump administration's bid to attack the FBI's Russia investigation and the intelligence community's assessment on Russian election interference. While speaking from the White House podium on Wednesday, Gabbard fell short of accusing Obama of treason, but she alleged that 'the evidence that we have found and that we have released directly points to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment.' 'They knew it would promote this contrived narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help President Trump win, selling it to the American people as though it were true,' she said. Gabbard insisted that the Russian goal in 2016 was to sow distrust in American democracy and not to help Trump. Unsubstantiated claims While Gabbard's proclamation stirred a storm, her claims that the Obama administration 'manufactured' the assessment are not supported by the newly redacted House report — or CIA Director John Ratcliffe's review of the intelligence assessment, which he re-released earlier this month. In his review, Ratcliffe argued the assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'aspired' to help Trump win the 2016 election was 'defensible'. Meanwhile, the House report, Gabbard's assertion is based on, argued that the assessment of Russia supporting Trump made analytical leaps based on relatively thin sourcing and failed to weigh contradictory intelligence highly enough. However, it still fell short of calling the intelligence 'manufactured'. Obama hits back Meanwhile, Obama's office took the unusual step of issuing an emphatic refutation after Trump told reporters that his predecessor had '[tried] to lead a coup' against him and was guilty of 'treason'. 'Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,' the statement from Obama's office said. 'But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction," it furthered. The statement went on to criticise claims made in an 11-page document released last week by Gabbard. 'Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes,' it said. 'These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio," Obama's team averred. With Trump navigating through the Epstein scandal, many claim that the push against Obama is a diversion tactic deployed by the Trump administration to sideline the Epstein Files. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
New Indian Express
28 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Gabbard's claims of an anti-Trump conspiracy are not supported by declassified documents
WASHINGTON: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard this month declassified material that she claimed proved a "treasonous conspiracy" by the Obama administration in 2016 to politicize U.S. intelligence in service of casting doubt on the legitimacy of Donald Trump's election victory. As evidence, Gabbard cited newly declassified emails from Obama officials and a five-year-old classified House report in hopes of undermining the intelligence community's conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to boost Trump and denigrate his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Russia's activities during the 2016 election remain some of the most examined events in recent history. The Kremlin's campaign and the subsequent U.S. government response were the subject of at least five major investigations by the Republican-led House and Senate intelligence committee; two Justice Department special counsels; and the department's inspector general. Those investigations either concluded — or accepted the conclusion — that Russia embarked on a campaign to interfere in the election through the use of social media and hacked material. The House-led probe, conducted by Trump allies, also concurred that Russia ran an election interference campaign but said the purpose was to sow chaos in the U.S. rather than boost Trump. Several of the reports criticize the actions of Obama administration officials, particularly at the FBI, but do not dispute the fundamental findings that Moscow sought to interfere in the election.
