Protests against weakening anti-corruption agencies continue in Ukraine – Europe live

But the Kremlin said today it was hard to see how Vladimir Putin could meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the end of August, as proposed by Ukraine.

Such meeting would fall within the 50-day deadline proposed by US president Donald Trump, Reuters noted.

Instead, Russia said its focus was on establishing buffer zones along the border with Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said that Russia had not expected a breakthrough in the talks.

in Istanbul

This round of talks appeared the quickest yet: Negotiators appeared to be wrapping up within 35 minutes of the negotiations starting. It is possible that the two sides have got more efficient, given the low expectations for real negotiations.

A visibly exhausted chief Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov attempted to dispel suggestions that talks took place quickly, saying that three parallel tracks of negotiations took place including in the preamble to talks.

The first track is intended to set up a meeting between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, “where the participation of [Donald] Trump and [Turkish president] Erdoğan would be most valuable”, he said.

The second addressed the push for a ceasefire, and the third discussed potential further exchanges of prisoners of war, as well as the return of Ukrainian civilians including children.

It appears that little progress was made on all three fronts, with the Ukrainian side keen to show they are still keen to keep showing up and negotiate despite few results from three rounds of talks.

“Real steps are possible– and the other side must demonstrate a constructive and realistic approach,” said Umerov.

“We will always prioritise a ceasefire. At the moment it is not up to us …We are ready to do it, it is the Russian side that is not in agreement.”

Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi scorned the Russian side’s proposal of a series of brief humanitarian pauses of up to 48 hours, saying: “This is not really a genuine ceasefire.”

“Humanitarian pauses on the frontline are happening from time to time. It’s surprising to see the Russians trying to sell this as a kind of ceasefire.

A full ceasefire on land, sea and air, this is what you call a ceasefire. When bombs don’t fall on civilian infrastructure.”

He added: “Ukraine has zero pre-conditions for a ceasefire … but Russia rejects this idea of a ceasefire. Why? You have to ask Moscow.”

Tykhyi described the atmosphere in the talks as “more down to earth”, and less emotional than in previous rounds, although there appeared to be little movement on the draft documents outlining each side’s plan for a potential ceasefire.

“Guns need to be silent so diplomats can talk. If we had a full ceasefire the diplomacy would be much much more effective,” he said. “The Ukrainian document is doable, while the Russian one is very far away.”

The Russian side has also repeatedly dodged calls for Putin to meet with Zelenskyy in recent months, with the Ukrainian side now proposing a meeting before the end of August after previously suggesting one in June.

“We understand that in Russia there is one person who takes decisions,” said Tykhyi. “If Putin says he is ready to meet Zelenskyy, president Zelenskyy is ready to meet with him tomorrow. Why is it so hard to just sit and talk, we don’t understand this. Why is it so difficult for Putin to show up and meet with president Zelenskyy?”

Despite what appeared to be slow progress, brief talks and visibly exhausted negotiators, the Ukrainian delegation said they expected further negotiations to take place.

They missed few opportunities to thank their Turkish hosts, as well as president Trump, suggesting they were eager to show that they are a willing partner for peace negotiations, however fruitless. By contrast, Moscow has appeared willing to set the pace, which risks extending talks far beyond Trump’s suggested 50-day ultimatum.

“We want this war to end. We never wanted this war to start in the first place: This is why we will use every opportunity, however small, to advance peace,” said Tykhyi.

First, let’s get an update on Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul last night.

Over to Ruth Michaelson.

After another nights of protests in Kyiv and across Ukraine, the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised a new bill to strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine in what my colleague Luke Harding described as an apparent attempt to assuage popular anger at his decision to weaken the powers of two independent anti-corruption agencies.

The move comes amid growing criticism also coming from Ukraine’s main international partners, including the EU, Germany and France.

In a nightly video address, Zelenskyy sought to deflect criticism by promising a new presidential bill.

It would guarantee the independence of anti-corruption institutions and at the same time ensure there was “no Russian influence”, he said. “Of course, everyone has heard what people are saying these days – on social media, to each other, on the streets. It’s not falling on deaf ears,” he added.

But the apparent concession left protesters unimpressed, Luke noted.

The controversy comes at a politically particularly tricky moment for Ukraine and could derail the progress it has been making with international partners on getting more aid.

Elsewhere, I will be looking at the EU-China summit with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen openly talking about the relations being at “an inflection point” and at a meeting of German and French defence ministers at Europe’s largest ammunition maker, Rheinmetall, in the town of Unterlüß in northern Germany.

I will bring you all key updates from across Europe today.

It’s Thursday, 24 July 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.