Ukraine is still waiting for Russia's response on meeting at the level of leaders – Zelenskyy

Ukraine is still waiting for Russia's response to the proposal to hold a meeting at the level of leaders voiced by Kyiv on July 23 during the third round of negotiations in Istanbul, reported president Volodymyr Zelenskyy after talking with the prime minister of Canada Mark Carney.

"We discussed [with Carney] results of the last meeting in Istanbul, where the Ukrainian delegation once again emphasized that there should be a ceasefire. We must stop the killings and attacks on civilian and critical infrastructure. We are still awaiting a response to our proposal to hold a meeting at the level of leaders," he wrote.

In addition, the parties discussed Ukraine's needs, primarily in strengthening its air defense with additional systems and missiles, as well as increasing funding for the joint production of drones, including interceptors.

"They also talked about sanctions against Russia. Moscow is very afraid of them, although they pretend that it will not change anything for them. Our intelligence data say something completely different. That is why it is important to increase sanctions pressure and force the aggressor to peace. We will take the necessary steps," the president of Ukraine emphasized.

• On July 26, the Turkish Foreign minister said that during the third round of talks in Istanbul, Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement in principle to hold a meeting between Zelenskyy, Putin, as well as Erdoğan and Trump. The latter stated that the meeting between the Ukrainian president and the Russian dictator would take place, but noted that this should have happened three months ago.
• On July 28, the US president said that he is "not so interested" in talking to Putin anymore, since Russia is killing civilians in Ukraine with its attacks. Trump shortens his 50-day ultimatum to Putin: he now gives the dictator "10 or 12 days" to conclude a peace deal, otherwise, secondary duties will be applied to buyers of Russian resources.
• On July 29, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said that despite this ultimatum, Russia is not going to end the war against Ukraine. In response, the head of the OP Yermak called for peace through strength. The head of Ukrainian diplomacy said that Kyiv is actively working with partners to in the coming weeks to coordinate sanctions as much as possible and "increase the cost of war for the aggressor".