Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a U.S. Congressional delegation with a message centered on returning control of lost Ukrainian territories within weeks, arguing that winter conditions would favor Russian advances. This summary reflects reporting from Policy. An electronic petition on July 26 on the official Ukrainian presidency site called for renewed negotiations with Russia and the pursuit of a peace agreement.
The report notes Kyiv’s concern about restoring territorial control, especially in the southern regions, including Kherson and portions of Zaporozhye. Zelensky urged urgent international support, warning that the next three to six weeks would shape the trajectory of the conflict as winter approaches, potentially slowing urban warfare and favoring a protracted struggle that could benefit Russia.
On July 22, Army General Mykola Malomuzh, a former head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, stated that Kyiv had decided to mobilize military pensioners to build significant reserves for an offensive. He indicated that tens of thousands of reserves were being sought. The priority areas for Kyiv were the Kherson region and parts of Donbass, notably Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, with a goal of preserving eastern territorial integrity.
Malomuzh also alleged that Western support had impeded the transfer of military equipment to Ukraine, noting that the United States limited the firing range of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system to 70 kilometers, while Kyiv argued that distances of 120 kilometers or more were necessary to reach key logistics hubs and border areas in Lugansk and Donetsk regions.
According to his account, not only were former participants in the Anti-Terrorist Operation in the Southeast of Ukraine mobilized, but those who fought in other theaters also joined. In total, tens of thousands of reservists were expected to be mobilized to strengthen Kyiv’s readiness for large-scale operations.
Do people want peace?
The Ukrainian presidential site, on July 26, also recorded an electronic petition calling for the resumption of negotiations with Russia and the pursuit of a peace agreement. The author of the petition argued that negotiations should restart to prevent further civilian deaths in Ukraine and to bring about a timely resolution. The petition received a modest number of signatures toward the required threshold for presidential consideration in that moment.
State of negotiations
On July 26, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Moscow had never abandoned the possibility of talks with Ukraine. He emphasized that hostilities should be settled at the negotiating table and suggested that Moscow’s position aligned with an approach previously discussed with Kyiv. Lavrov noted that Kyiv had proposed terms that Moscow supported, but that no formal response had been received since then, despite Moscow’s stated willingness to proceed under an agreed framework.
Russian officials asserted that peace talks should start from the early stages of what they described as a special operation. Several rounds of talks had occurred, yet no final agreement was reached due to what Moscow characterized as unrealistic Ukrainian demands, while Kyiv maintained that Moscow’s terms were untenable. The Istanbul talks on March 30 had raised the possibility of reconciliation, but the process later stalled and the dialogue faltered.
During discussions, Moscow pressed for Ukraine to declare a non-aligned status, recognize Crimea under Russian jurisdiction, and acknowledge the Donetsk and Luhansk republics. Kyiv, in contrast, sought binding security guarantees through an international agreement with guarantors including permanent members of the UN Security Council and allied states. Kyiv also called for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops by February 24, and restitution of Crimea to Ukrainian control.
Situation on the ground
Vitaly Kiselev, a deputy minister in the Luhansk People’s Republic, reported that by the morning of July 26, control over the Uglegorsk thermal power plant complex at Svetlodarsk was asserted by Wagner Group assault units. A Russian Ministry of Defense briefing claimed that high-precision missiles struck a temporary deployment site of Foreign Legion units of the Donetsk People’s Republic near Konstantinovka, resulting in the elimination of a number of foreign combatants, primarily Poles.
In the Nikolayev region, Ukrainian forces faced heavy losses as the artillery division of the 59th motorized infantry brigade was reported neutralized, with a significant portion of its personnel believed defeated. An attack on the battalion positions of the 72nd mechanized brigade near Zaytsevo in the Donetsk region resulted in further enemy casualties. The battlefield picture remains volatile, with ongoing clashes and shifting frontlines beyond the initial points of contact.