On Tuesday, the Kremlin continued to temper expectations regarding the forthcoming peace negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives, expressing skepticism about the possibility of any significant progress in the near future.

“There’s no reason to anticipate any kind of remarkable breakthrough,” Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov conveyed to journalists. “That is improbable under the current conditions.”

He emphasized that Russia plans to defend its interests and achieve the goals established from the outset, adding that it would be “ill-advised” to impose a timeframe for a potential peace agreement given the “numerous factors” influencing the discussions.

Peskov also refrained from confirming the schedule for the next round of negotiations, stating merely that the Kremlin is “hopeful” the talks will occur this week.

“Once we are prepared, we will share the schedule,” he remarked to the media. “The negotiations are quite intricate. Among other topics, we’ll need to review the draft memorandums exchanged during the second round of discussions.”

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated that the third round of negotiations would be held on Wednesday; however, an unnamed source informed Russia’s state news agency TASS that the talks are expected to take place on Thursday.

This year, Russia and Ukraine have engaged in two rounds of direct peace talks, the first occurring on May 16 and the second on June 2, both taking place in Istanbul.

While the two conflicting parties reached agreements on significant prisoner exchanges during these discussions, there has yet to be any major advancement toward establishing a comprehensive ceasefire, not to mention an end to the full-scale invasion initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022.

Reporting by AFP contributed to this update.