Ukraine proposes fresh talks with Russia next week

Kyiv, July 20 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv has proposed to hold a new round of peace talks with Moscow next week.

Rustem Umerov, who headed the Ukrainian delegation in the previous two talks in Istanbul, had sent the Russian side the offer to hold the meeting next week, Zelensky said in his evening address to the nation on Saturday.

"The momentum of the negotiations must be stepped up," Zelensky said. "Everything should be done to achieve a ceasefire."

Umerov, the former defence minister, was just appointed by the Ukrainian president as secretary of the National Security and Defence Council on Friday.

Russia on Tuesday rejected US President Donald Trump's 50-day ultimatum to agree to a Ukraine ceasefire, dismissing the threat of "severe tariffs" as unacceptable.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov emphasised that Moscow favours a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine conflict and is ready to negotiate.

The announcement of a new round of peace talks comes as earlier in the day, Russian forces carried out a massive strike on enterprises of Ukraine's military-industrial complex, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

The attack involved high-precision air-, ground- and sea-launched weapons, as well as drones, and all designated targets were hit, the ministry said in a statement.

Zelensky took to Telegram and said that Russia launched more than 300 drones and over 30 cruise missiles overnight, killing one person and injuring six others in Odesa, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry said its forces shot down 71 Ukrainian drones overnight. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 13 drones were intercepted while approaching the Russian capital.

--IANS

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