Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine and Russia will hold a new round of talks in Istanbul today, although Moscow has moved to play down expectations. Meanwhile, at home, the Ukrainian leader is facing the first major protest against his government since the war began. Follow the latest.
Wednesday 23 July 2025 09:27, UK
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Michael Clarke, our military analyst, will be back on Tuesday to answer more of your questions about the war in Ukraine.
You can submit yours using the box at the top of this page.
Our military analyst Michael Clarke has given his thoughts on Donald Trump’s 50-day deadline – which he doesn’t believe is a serious warning.
“The fact is, the rest of the world doesn’t believe he’ll do it,” Clarke said during his regular live Q&A.
He said the two countries most likely to be hurt by tariffs and sanctions on Russia will be China and India, because those are the two who take the most Russian oil.
“Trump will not upset India and China to that extent and those sanctions will almost certainly raise the price of gasoline at the pumps and add to inflation in the US,” he said.
“So the calculation is – he won’t do it.”
Clarke added Russia could launch large-scale attacks before the deadline runs out.
We could see “a real uptick of offensives all around the front” – in which Russia’s forces “throw absolutely everything” at Ukraine between now and 2 September.
For context: Last week, Trump set a 50-day deadline for Russia to end its war with Ukraine.
He said the US would provide more weapons to Ukraine (albeit via sales to NATO), as well as threatening Russia with more sanctions if it does not make peace by this deadline.
Watch below: Trump’s ultimatum to Putin
Crowds have gathered in the Ukrainian capital and across other cities to urge the president to veto a controversial anti-corruption bill.
It’s the first major rally against the government since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Ukraine’s parliament passed legislation that tightens oversight of two key anti-corruption agencies – a move critics say could significantly weaken their independence.
It was signed into law by Volodymyr Zelenskyy last night.
Fighting corruption is essential for Ukraine’s bid to join the EU and to maintain access to billions of dollars in aid.
The changes would grant the prosecutor general new powers over investigations and cases handled by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
In a post on social media, the EU’s enlargement commissioner Marta Kos described the move as “a serious step back”.
A new round of peace talks in Istanbul is expected to take place today – but Russia has already lowered expectations.
The two sides remain far from any agreement, with Moscow’s demands believed to be too steep for Ukraine, including territorial concessions and a promise not to join NATO.
And the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking yesterday, said there is “no reason to expect any breakthroughs in the category of miracles”.
“It is hardly possible in the current situation,” he added.
“We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning.”
Peskov said he cannot give any guidance on timing.
“There is a lot of work to be done before we can talk about the possibility of some top-level meetings,” he said, a day after Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed a call for a meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian and Russian delegations are set to meet in Turkey for another round of talks today.
That’s according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said on Monday he has discussed with his defence minister the “preparation” of a prisoner exchange.
The Kremlin, however, has warned not to expect “miracles”.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy is under pressure at home to reverse a law that curbs the autonomy of two anti-corruption agencies – more on that shortly.
Hundreds of Ukrainians protested near the presidential administration last night against that legislation.
Stay with us for the latest here.
We’re pausing our live updates on the war in Ukraine.
Before we go, here’s an overview of what’s happened today:
Russia’s defence minister has met his Iranian counterpart in Moscow, with the two officials pledging to strengthen military cooperation.
Russian state news agency RIA reported that the meeting followed talks between Vladimir Putin and Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader.
The pair held talks on the situation in the Middle East and issues surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme.
Russia has a strategic partnership treaty with Iran, and recently condemned the Israeli and US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites last month. Moscow also regularly uses Iranian-designed Shahed drones in Ukraine.
The UK government has announced its latest sanctions on Russia, targeting two firms.
The new sanctions target Russian President Vladimir Putin’s critical energy and oil sectors.
Shipping company Intershipping Services and oil trader Litasco Middle East DMCC have been targeted in the latest attempt to ramp up pressure on Moscow.
Among the sanctions are 135 oil tankers forming part of a fleet “responsible for illicitly carrying $24bn worth of cargo since the start of 2024”.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed 16 new ambassadors and has outlined their priorities.
“One of your key tasks is to ensure that Russia is held fully accountable for its aggression, especially through sanctions,” he said.
“We have begun synchronising partner sanctions within our jurisdiction. Now, Ukrainian sanctions must be extended into the jurisdictions of our partners.
“Many EU sanctions packages are still not adopted by European countries outside the EU. This needs to be corrected, and we must actively promote tougher sanctions against Russia.”
On peace talks, Ukraine’s president said “we need greater momentum in negotiations to end the war”.
He added that “truly effective” talks must take place at the level of national leaders.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said French companies have decided to begin drone production in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian presieent met French foreign affairs minister Jean-Noel Barrot, and said the pair discussed defence assistance and the training of troops.
“We are ready to expand joint defence production,” he said. “French companies have decided to start manufacturing drones in Ukraine, which is very valuable.”
We can bring you these pictures from the battlefield now, showing members of the 13th Operative Purpose Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard.
Troops can be seen installing an anti-drone net in Kharkiv – one of the regions hit by Russian drones overnight.
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