Overview
- Russia told state media it is ready to resume negotiations in Istanbul and said the initiative now rests with Ukraine, according to Foreign Ministry official Alexei Polishchuk.
- Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya said Kyiv has suspended the direct talks due to a lack of results in earlier sessions and rejects claims it is blocking diplomacy.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia will press its military campaign and warned Ukraine would have to negotiate "sooner or later" from a weaker position if talks do not resume.
- Fighting has intensified in the Zaporizhzhia sector, with Ukrainian commanders warning of worsening conditions; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited troops near Orikhiv to bolster defenses.
- G7 foreign ministers discussed raising pressure on Moscow, Canada announced new sanctions, and Sergey Lavrov urged Washington to avoid escalation as the Kremlin confirmed a UK backchannel contact that failed to develop.