Ukraine negotiator: 'We have the upper hand'

What the report says

NPR World reported in a July 28 interview that Sergiy Kyslytsya, described as one of Ukraine’s senior negotiators, said Kyiv believes it has gained enough leverage to push Russia toward more substantive peace talks. The report’s headline frames his view bluntly: Ukraine sees itself as holding “the upper hand” in efforts to bring Moscow to serious negotiations.

Because the full article text was not available in the supplied material, the specific reasons Kyslytsya gave for that assessment are not included here. The available NPR snippet indicates the interview focused on Ukraine’s negotiating position and the calculation that pressure on Russia could change the diplomatic equation. No details were provided in the evidence about any new proposal, meeting schedule, battlefield development, or terms under discussion.

The comments matter because any shift in how Ukrainian officials assess leverage could shape expectations around diplomacy in a war that has repeatedly combined military pressure with stalled or limited talks. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv has sought international backing while insisting that negotiations not reward aggression; Moscow has maintained its own demands. Outside governments and institutions have continued to watch for signs of whether either side is prepared to engage on terms the other could accept.

This digest is based on NPR’s published description of the interview and should be treated as pending editorial review until the complete article is available.