Zelenskiy says negotiation process with Russia needs 'more momentum'

KYIV, July 18 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that peace talks with Russia need "more momentum" and that he had asked new National Security and Defence Council secretary Rustem Umerov to "intensify" the process.

"The implementation of the agreements from the second Istanbul meeting is ongoing," he wrote on X, referring to recent talks between the two warring sides in Turkey earlier this year. "This process needs more momentum."

Zelenskiy added that he was also assigning Umerov, who until Thursday's government reshuffle served as defence minister, to work on arms agreements with Kyiv's allies.