LONDON — Ukrainian and Russian delegations are set to satisfy 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 to this point have failed to achieve a peace deal, and even obtain a sustained ceasefire, regardless of strain 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 Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday, in line with a readout printed by the State Division — which stated the decision happened “at Russia’s request.”
“Secretary Rubio reiterated President Trump’s name for continued direct talks between Russia and Ukraine to attain an enduring peace,” the State Division stated.
The Russian Overseas Ministry stated in an announcement that the 2 males “exchanged views on numerous initiatives in regards to the political settlement of the Ukrainian disaster.”
This mixture 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 through Getty Photographs
Ukraine is asking for a full 30-day ceasefire throughout which period peace negotiations can happen. Russia has refused the request, with President Vladimir Putin and his prime officers retaining maximalist warfare targets courting 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 stated 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 youngsters. 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 warfare inside 24 hours. Trump’s risk of additional sanctions on Russia don’t seem to have softened the Kremlin’s warfare targets.
Zelenskyy and his European backers have pushed Trump to extend strain on Putin by introducing new sanctions on Russia and offering Ukraine with extra army assist. 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 basically frustrates him.”
In a telephone dialog with Trump in Could, Putin stated Russia would offer a “peace memorandum” outlining a attainable settlement. Moscow is but to supply the doc. Vladimir Medinsky — a Putin aide and long-time member of Russia’s negotiating workforce — stated Sunday that the Russian workforce 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, “Every thing 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 celebration and the chair of the physique’s international affairs committee, instructed ABC Information, “Russia’s main purpose is to keep away from sanctions by pretending that it negotiates.”
“Putin isn’t eager about negotiations and ceasefire, as a result of he hopes to start out an offensive throughout summer season,” 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 reveal that Russia isn’t politically remoted. But, however, Putin hopes that if Trump will determine to withdraw from the negotiations, he’ll depart Ukraine with out army assist, one-on-one with Russia.”
The talks come a day after Ukraine launched one of the gorgeous assaults of the warfare. 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 vehicles 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 army plane within the assaults, which focused a number of air bases 1000’s of miles from Ukrainian-controlled territory.
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 in the course of the assaults in Irkutsk and Murmansk — movies of which the SBU printed.
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.” At the very least seven folks had been killed, authorities stated.
In an tackle on Sunday, Zelenskyy known as the Ukrainian drone assault a “good operation” and stated Russia “suffered actually vital losses.” The president framed the assault as a defensive measure.
“We are going to defend ourselves by all means accessible to us,” Zelenskyy stated. “Not for a single second did we would like this warfare. 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 warfare.”
“Strain is really wanted — strain on Russia that ought to carry it again to actuality,” Zelenskyy added. “Strain via sanctions. Strain from our forces. Strain 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 pressure stated 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 pressure reported impacts in 12 areas.
Satellite tv for pc picture exhibits the harm to army plane at Russia’s Belaya airbase, in line with Chris Biggers, a advisor who makes a speciality of analyzing satellite tv for pc imagery.
Chris Biggers / Umbra Area
Russia’s Protection Ministry stated it shot down 162 Ukrainian drones over 9 Russian areas in a single day.
ABC Information’ Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
