Ukraine to set the stage for negotiations with Russia this autumn

The Ukrainian authorities intend to prepare the ground for possible negotiations with Russia in the upcoming autumn of 2024, The Kyiv Independent publication reports with reference to a source "close to Zelensky."

Kyiv is seeking an opportunity to "start a conversation" with Moscow and discuss the exchange of prisoners on the principle of "all for all." Ukraine also plans to hold talks on food and nuclear security, the source said.

Sources in the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said earlier that Kyiv wanted to start negotiations with Moscow after the start of the operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Russia's Kursk region.

Ukraine wants to organize negotiations with Russia in an indirect format through mediators. The Ukrainian authorities, the publication noted, opt for the "grain deal" format with the mediation of Turkey.

On August 17, The Washington Post wrote that Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk region allegedly disrupted the secret negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv in Qatar on a partial ceasefire. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that reports about mediation by Qatar and Turkey were a rumor.