From 2022 to 2025… Key Diplomatic Milestones to Stop the War in Ukraine

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This week has seen renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, culminating in preparations in Turkey.

Today, Thursday, Istanbul is expected to host the first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine since spring 2022.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin chaired a preparatory meeting for the talks, attended by senior military and security officials.

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the meeting included members of the Russian negotiating delegation: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, National Guard Chief Viktor Zolotov, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, and FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov.

The format of these negotiations remains unclear. However, should Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky meet, it would be their first encounter since the war began three years ago.

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Key Milestones Since the Outbreak of War

Feb 28, 2022: First Russia-Ukraine talks held in Belarus. Discussions lasted two weeks, yielding no major agreements except for civilian humanitarian corridors.

Mar 21, 2022: Zelensky calls for direct talks with Putin; Lavrov refuses. Zelensky offers to discuss neutrality in exchange for ceasefire, Russian withdrawal, and security guarantees.

Mar 29, 2022: Istanbul talks begin. Moscow agrees to reduce military activity near Kyiv and Chernihiv. Ukraine hints at neutrality with security assurances.

Apr 7, 2022: Lavrov rejects Ukraine’s peace proposal, calling it “unacceptable” for excluding Crimea from guarantees.

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Apr 26, 2022: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visits Moscow to seek peace.

May 13, 2022: First phone call between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu.

Jul 22, 2022: Turkey-UN brokered grain export deal via the Black Sea signed. It expired a year later.

Sep 22, 2022: Zelensky addresses the UN, presenting five “non-negotiable” demands, including punishing Russia.

Sep 30, 2022: Russia annexes four Ukrainian regions. Kyiv officially applies for NATO membership and deems talks with Putin “impossible.”

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Nov 15, 2022: Zelensky presents 10-point peace plan at G20 Summit in Indonesia.

Jun 25, 2023: 15 countries, including the US, India, and Brazil, meet in Copenhagen to discuss Zelensky’s plan.

Aug 5, 2023: Two-day talks in Saudi Arabia with 40 countries. Russia excluded. No joint statement issued.

Oct 28, 2023: 65 nations meet in Malta to continue talks on Zelensky’s plan. Russia not invited and rejects the process.

Jun 15, 2024: 92 countries gather in Switzerland to discuss Ukraine’s peace plan.

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Dec 7, 2024: Trump, newly elected US president, meets Zelensky and European leaders in Paris.

Feb 12, 2025: Trump and Putin hold a phone call and agree to start negotiations, ending a US-led three-year effort to isolate Putin.

Feb 18, 2025: US-Russia meeting in Saudi Arabia includes Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ukraine not invited.

Feb 28, 2025: Zelensky meets Trump, Rubio, and VP J.D. Vance in the White House. Tensions arise; no trade deal is signed.

Mar 11, 2025: US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia propose a 30-day ceasefire, accepted by Kyiv.

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Mar 13, 2025: Putin effectively rejects the ceasefire, citing “unresolved issues,” and meets a US envoy in Moscow.

Mar 18, 2025: Temporary ceasefire on energy infrastructure proposed and accepted. Quickly violated.

Apr 19, 2025: Putin announces a 30-hour Easter ceasefire. Fighting continues.

Apr 28, 2025: Kremlin announces a 72-hour unilateral ceasefire starting May 8. Kyiv rejects it, demands 30 days, and both sides accuse each other of violations.

May 10, 2025: Leaders of France, UK, Germany, and Poland visit Kyiv, urging Russia to accept a 30-day ceasefire from May 12.

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May 11, 2025: Putin proposes resuming Istanbul talks without preconditions but rejects a 30-day truce. Zelensky challenges him to a face-to-face.

May 12, 2025: Trump says he is “considering” traveling to Istanbul but later announces Rubio and others will represent the US.

May 13, 2025: Zelensky’s adviser confirms the president will only meet Putin in Turkey.

May 14, 2025: Kremlin announces the Russian delegation to Istanbul talks, led by Vladimir Medinsky. Putin is not included.

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