ANKARA/ISTANBUL
All eyes are focused on peace talks between Russia and Ukraine set for Monday in Istanbul as clashes between the two sides intensify.
Immediately after the war broke out in February 2022, Türkiye brought Russia and Ukraine together at the same table in both Antalya and Istanbul.
In May this year, Türkiye again managed to get the Russian and Ukrainian delegations to meet in Istanbul for their first talks in more than three years of war.
Negotiations between the two sides were held on May 16 at Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace.
The second round of talks between the two parties is expected to take place at 1 pm local time (1000GMT) on Monday in Istanbul's Ciragan Palace.
The two sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each in the May 16 talks, to present their views on a possible ceasefire in detail, and to continue the negotiations.
They announced that the prisoner swap was completed on May 25.
With international actors frequently expressing their satisfaction with the start of the process in Istanbul, the talks hosted by Türkiye also received wide coverage in the world press.
Türkiye continues mediation efforts
Türkiye has continued to work towards peace between Russia and Ukraine, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visiting Moscow on May 26-27 and Kyiv on May 29-30.
In Moscow, Fidan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and also held meetings with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and high-level officials.
"Russia's preference for Istanbul as the venue for direct negotiations with Ukraine is a manifestation of the common understanding of our countries aimed at establishing stability," Fidan said in his meeting with Lavrov.
Lavrov said they value Türkiye's re-establishment of opportunities for direct negotiations with Ukraine.
All eyes turned to Türkiye once again when Lavrov announced on May 28 that they proposed to Ukraine to hold the next round of talks in Istanbul on June 2.
He said the delegation headed by Putin's Advisor Vladimir Medinsky is ready to present a memorandum prepared by Russia “on all aspects of overcoming the root causes of the crisis” to the Ukrainian delegation and to “provide the necessary explanations” during the second round of direct negotiations on June 2 and expressed his gratitude to Türkiye.
The Kremlin also announced that the Russian delegation would set off for Istanbul and would be ready for the second round of talks on Monday morning.
Ukraine to be in Istanbul with delegation led by Defense Minister Umerov
Following his visit to Russia, Fidan paid a working visit to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
Meeting with high-level Ukrainian officials, especially President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, he reiterated Türkiye's call for a lasting peace at a news conference with Sybiha.
Referring to Türkiye's good relations with both sides, he highlighted that progress could definitely be achieved as long as they remained at the negotiation table.
Ukraine initially said that it wanted to see the memorandum prepared by Russia before the second round of negotiations.
On Sunday, Zelenskyy announced that he had approved the composition of Ukraine’s delegation for the peace talks in Istanbul.
It will be headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and include Oleksandr Bevz, advisor to the head of the Office of the Ukrainian President, Oleksandr Diakov, deputy chief of staff of the Naval Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya.
-Trump weighs in
US President Donald Trump has pledged to end the war both during his election campaign and after taking office.
US officials who support the negotiation process held high-level phone calls with Russian officials after the first round of talks.
Trump and Putin also spoke by phone on May 19, and Trump said it went well and announced that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would begin immediately.
Trump argued that Russia had been moving slowly in reaching a ceasefire with Ukraine and expressed his dissatisfaction with this.
He said in a statement on his Truth Social platform on May 26, following Russian airstrikes on Ukraine, that Putin has "gone crazy."
Russia, meanwhile, said that Trump was “not being informed enough” about Ukraine's “massive terrorist attacks” on Russian cities, and Russian officials suggested that his strong statements regarding the war in Ukraine may be a result of "emotional overload."
Trump also criticized Zelenskyy, arguing that the Ukrainian leader did not do his country any favors by talking the way he does.
At the same time, the White House released a statement saying, “It is our hope that Russia and Ukraine will engage in direct talks and negotiations next week in Istanbul. And we believe that the meeting is going to take place.”
It is not yet clear whether the US will send a representative to these talks.
Conflict intensifies before negotiations
While the parties were preparing to sit at the table in Istanbul, news emerged of violent attacks late Saturday and Sunday.
On Sunday, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said its forces conducted a "large-scale" attack on Russia and that over 40 strategic bombers were destroyed in the strike using drones in various regions, including the Siberian region of Irkutsk, whose administrative center is more than 4,300 kilometers (2,671 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border.
According to the report, the attack targeted four airfields: Olenya, Ivanovo, Dyagilevo, and Belaya.
Russia’s Defense Ministry also issued a statement later Sunday.
The ministry acknowledged drone attacks on five airfields across Russia, including in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions. It called the strikes “terrorist attacks” carried out by the “Kyiv regime.”
The ministry said the attacks at the Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur airfields “were repelled,” while several “pieces of aircraft” caught fire in Murmansk and Irkutsk after drone launches from areas near the airfields.
“Some participants in the terrorist attacks have been detained,” it added.
