#TrumpTariffs Why Ukraine peace talks are failing
The current process ignores justice, trauma and truth – and risks locking in endless war.
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Russia-Ukraine war
Why Ukraine peace talks are failing
The current process ignores justice, trauma and truth – and risks locking in endless war.
By Marta Vashchuk and Michael Shank
Published On 12 Jun 2025
12 Jun 2025
Head of the Ukrainian delegation and Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov (L) during a press conference after a second meeting of direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul, on June 2, 2025. [Adem Altan/AFP]
Head of the Ukrainian delegation and Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov (L) speaks, flanked by Ukraines Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya (C), during a press conference after a second meeting of direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, at the Ciragan Palace, in Istanbul, on June 2, 2025. [Adem Altan/AFP)
This month’s peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul have once again failed to bring the war any closer to a ceasefire. The only outcome – a limited agreement on prisoner exchanges – underscores a troubling truth: the current negotiation framework is not working.
Meanwhile, military escalation on both sides shows no signs of slowing. In such an atmosphere, diplomacy becomes increasingly difficult. A ceasefire feels out of reach, and uneasy comparisons with the Korean Peninsula’s frozen armistice are beginning to surface – a scenario that would only entrench division, fuel resentment, and leave key territorial issues unresolved.$BTC
