LONDON — Ukrainian and Russian delegations are set to fulfill once more in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday to participate within the subsequent spherical of U.S.-brokered peace talks meant to finish Russia’s 3-year-old invasion of its neighbor.
Revived talks up to now have failed to achieve a peace deal, and even obtain a sustained ceasefire, regardless of stress on each side by President Donald Trump’s administration. The final assembly between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul in mid-Could was the primary direct contact between the 2 sides since spring 2022.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian International Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday, in keeping with a readout revealed by the State Division — which mentioned the decision happened “at Russia’s request.”
“Secretary Rubio reiterated President Trump’s name for continued direct talks between Russia and Ukraine to realize an enduring peace,” the State Division mentioned.
The Russian International Ministry mentioned in a press release that the 2 males “exchanged views on numerous initiatives in regards to the political settlement of the Ukrainian disaster.”
This mix of images created on Could 25, 2025 exhibits Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
Drew Angerer/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
Ukraine is looking for a full 30-day ceasefire throughout which era peace negotiations can happen. Russia has refused the request, with President Vladimir Putin and his prime officers retaining maximalist battle targets relationship again to the opening days of the Russian invasion.
Among the many Kremlin’s calls for are the annexation of 4 Ukrainian areas — plus the retention of Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014 — Ukrainian demilitarization and a everlasting block on the nation’s accession to NATO.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned in a Sunday social media publish that Kyiv’s delegation can be led by Protection Minister Rustem Umerov.
The president set out Ukraine’s targets for the assembly. “First — a full and unconditional ceasefire,” he wrote. “Second — the discharge of prisoners. Third — the return of kidnapped kids. And with a view to set up a dependable and lasting peace and guarantee safety, preparation of the assembly on the highest stage.”
Zelenskyy and his authorities have repeatedly accused Putin of deliberately sabotaging peace talks since Trump returned to workplace in January, having promised on the marketing campaign path to finish the battle inside 24 hours. Trump’s menace of additional sanctions on Russia don’t seem to have softened the Kremlin’s battle targets.
Zelenskyy and his European backers have pushed Trump to extend stress on Putin by introducing new sanctions on Russia and offering Ukraine with extra navy help. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s Ukraine-Russia envoy, hinted on the president’s rising frustration with Moscow, telling ABC Information final week that the president has “seen a stage of unreasonableness that actually frustrates him.”
In a telephone dialog with Trump in Could, Putin mentioned Russia would supply a “peace memorandum” outlining a potential settlement. Moscow is but to supply the doc. Vladimir Medinsky — a Putin aide and long-time member of Russia’s negotiating group — mentioned Sunday that the Russian group had acquired Ukraine’s model of the peace memorandum.
For the reason that final spherical of talks in Istanbul, Trump has hit out at Putin — calling him “completely loopy” — and once more criticized Zelenskyy, saying of the Ukrainian chief, “All the pieces out of his mouth causes issues, I don’t prefer it, and it higher cease.”
Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament representing Zelenskyy’s get together and the chair of the physique’s international affairs committee, instructed ABC Information, “Russia’s major objective is to keep away from sanctions by pretending that it negotiates.”
“Putin will not be serious about negotiations and ceasefire, as a result of he hopes to start out an offensive throughout summer time,” Merezhko added.
A employee cleans home windows forward of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine at Ciragan Palace, in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 2, 2025.
Murad Sezer/Reuters
“On the one hand, he imitates negotiations to keep away from Trump’s sanctions and concurrently to exhibit that Russia will not be politically remoted. But, however, Putin hopes that if Trump will resolve to withdraw from the negotiations, he’ll depart Ukraine with out navy help, one-on-one with Russia.”
The talks come a day after Ukraine launched one of the crucial gorgeous assaults of the battle. In what a supply within the Safety Service of Ukraine (SBU) instructed ABC Information was an operation one and a half years within the making, operatives used assault drones hid in containers carried by vans to assault strategic bomber bases deep inside Russian territory.
Moscow has used long-range bombers and their cruise missile armaments to assault Ukrainian cities all through the full-scale invasion. The SBU claimed to have hit greater than 40 navy plane within the assaults, which focused a number of air bases 1000’s of miles from Ukrainian-controlled territory. Zelenskyy mentioned that 34% of Russia’s cruise missile-carrying plane had been hit.
Russia’s Protection Ministry framed the operation as “a terrorist assault,” claiming that the strikes had been “repelled” in three areas, however noting that a number of plane caught fireplace at airfields through the assaults in Irkutsk and Murmansk — movies of which the SBU revealed.
Additionally on Sunday, Russian authorities reported the collapse of two railway bridges and derailment of two trains in areas bordering Ukraine, which they blamed on “explosions.” No less than seven individuals had been killed, authorities mentioned.
In an deal with on Sunday, Zelenskyy known as the Ukrainian drone assault a “good operation” and mentioned Russia “suffered really important losses.” The president framed the assault as a defensive measure.
“We’ll defend ourselves by all means obtainable to us,” Zelenskyy mentioned. “Not for a single second did we wish this battle. We supplied the Russians a ceasefire. Since March 11, the U.S. proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire has been on the desk. It was the Russians who selected to proceed the battle.”
“Stress is really wanted — stress on Russia that ought to convey it again to actuality,” Zelenskyy added. “Stress via sanctions. Stress from our forces. Stress via diplomacy. All of it should work collectively.”
In the meantime, long-range drone and missile assaults continued in a single day into Monday morning.
Ukraine’s air drive mentioned Russia launched 80 drones and 4 missiles into the nation in a single day, of which 52 had been shot down or neutralized. The air drive reported impacts in 12 places.
Satellite tv for pc picture exhibits the injury to navy plane at Russia’s Belaya airbase, in keeping with Chris Biggers, a marketing consultant who makes a speciality of analyzing satellite tv for pc imagery.
Chris Biggers / Umbra Area
Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned it shot down 162 Ukrainian drones over 9 Russian areas in a single day.
ABC Information’ Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
