Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet Monday in Istanbul to exchange their plans on how to end the three-year war, Europe’s largest conflict since World War II, after Kyiv said it carried out one of its most successful attacks, hitting bombers parked at airbases deep inside Russia.
Urged on by US President Donald Trump, Moscow and Kyiv have opened direct negotiations for the first time since the early weeks of Russia’s invasion, but have yet to make significant progress towards an elusive agreement.
Monday’s talks come a day after Ukraine carried out one of its most brazen and successful attacks ever on Russian soil — hitting dozens of strategic bombers parked at airbases thousands of kilometres behind the front line.
Urged on by US President Donald Trump, Moscow and Kyiv have opened direct negotiations for the first time since the early weeks of Russia’s invasion, but have yet to make significant progress towards an elusive agreement.
Monday’s talks come a day after Ukraine carried out one of its most brazen and successful attacks ever on Russian soil — hitting dozens of strategic bombers parked at airbases thousands of kilometres behind the front line.
At the first round of talks in Istanbul last month, the two sides agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange and to swap notes on what their vision of a peace deal might look like.
The second set of negotiations is scheduled to get underway at 1:00 pm (1000 GMT) at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, an Ottoman imperial house on the banks of the Bosphorus that is now a luxury five-star hotel.
Russia’s negotiators arrived late Sunday, with Ukraine’s team touching down on Monday morning.
Moscow says it will present a “memorandum” of its peace terms, having resisted pressure by Ukraine to send its demands in advance.