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Drone strikes intensify as Zelensky pushes for peace
The Independent
|July 21, 2025
Russian president Vladimir Putin is open to peace after his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky suggested fresh ceasefire talks, Moscow said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Russian president was ready to negotiate but that Russia remained committed to “achieving its goals”.
Mr Zelensky offered Moscow another round of peace talks for this week, saying he wanted to speed up ending the conflict, following US president Donald Trump’s 50-day deadline of ceasefire or sanctions.
“President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy,” Mr Peskov said.
“The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear,” he added. The Kremlin has insisted that any peace deal should see Ukraine withdraw from the four regions that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022.
This story is from the July 21, 2025 edition of The Independent.
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