Another round of negotiations: Moscow talks about seriousness, but the refusal to make concessions remains

In July, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that talks about peace were “being carried out seriously,” but refused to discuss Ukraine’s basic demands. Moscow emphasized that any changes to the status of the territories are excluded. Kremlin representatives again rejected the idea of ​​international peacekeepers, abandoned the idea of ​​a truce, and emphasized that any negotiations are possible, but only on terms acceptable to Moscow. For many observers, this sounded like another round of diplomatic play: Russia maintains the appearance of dialogue, but in fact is doing everything to ensure that the war continues on the same terms. July 2025 witnessed a rejection of the real world.