Russia and Ukraine Meet Again in Istanbul After 17 Days
High-Level Talks Resume
Ukraine Launches Airstrike on Russian Air Base in Siberia
The delegations of Ukraine and Russia will meet again on the 2nd (local time) in Istanbul, T?rkiye.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on X (formerly Twitter) on the 1st that "on Monday the 2nd, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead our delegation."
Reuters and other outlets, citing Turkish diplomatic sources, reported that the second round of talks is scheduled to take place at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul at around 1:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. Korean time).
Ukraine officially confirmed its participation four days after Russia unilaterally notified the date and location for the second round of negotiations on May 28. Previously, Russia had rejected Ukraine's proposal for a trilateral summit with the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, and instead suggested high-level talks in Istanbul.
Until the day before the talks, Ukraine had not confirmed its participation and demanded that Russia first submit a memorandum specifying the agenda and terms for a ceasefire. In response, Russia insisted, "We will explain at the negotiation table," leading to a tense standoff between the two sides.
However, on the 1st, a day before the talks, Ukraine confirmed its participation, bringing high-level officials from both countries face-to-face for the first time in 17 days since May 16. Nevertheless, most observers believe that it will be difficult to achieve any substantial results in this round, as the two sides remain far apart in their positions.
The 'roadmap' Ukraine has prepared for these talks includes a plan based on an unconditional ceasefire of at least 30 days. This would be followed by a full exchange of prisoners of war, the repatriation of Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia, and finally, the pursuit of a peace agreement through a summit meeting.
This document was also delivered to Russia in advance. Ukraine's position, as stated in the document, is that it will not accept any forced military neutrality and that the international community cannot recognize any territories occupied by Russia since February 2014, including Crimea.
Most of the contents reaffirm positions that Ukraine has consistently maintained, but there are still significant differences with Russia's demands.
Russia has consistently demanded that Ukraine enshrine its status as a neutral state and its non-aligned, non-nuclear policies in its constitution. In the first round of talks, the two sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners, but failed to bridge their differences on major issues.
On the battlefield, clashes continued up to the day before the negotiations.
Ukraine claimed that it attacked four Russian air bases, including one in southeastern Siberia, with drones, destroying 40 Russian fighter jets. Foreign media noted that this was the first time Ukraine had struck deep into Siberia, more than 4,300 kilometers from the front lines, where strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons are stationed.
Meanwhile, Russia launched attacks across Ukraine using 472 drones from the night before until the morning of the same day, marking the largest single-day drone assault since the war began in February 2022.
Additionally, in Russia's western Bryansk and Kursk regions, which border Ukraine, two bridges were destroyed in explosions, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens more. Russia has accused Ukraine of being behind these attacks.
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