Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks repumes in Istanbul after a surprise drone attack

London – The Ukrainian and Russian delegations gathered again in Istanbul, Turkey on Monday to participate in the next series of peace talks marketed in the United States intended to end the invasion of Russia, 3 years old, of its neighbor. Translections intervene one day after Ukraine launched a daring drone attack against the fleet of strategic bombers of Russia.

Until now, the relaunched talks have failed to conclude a peace agreement, or even to make a sustained ceasefire, despite the pressure on both sides by the administration of President Donald Trump. The last meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul in mid-May was the first direct contact between the two parties since spring 2022.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry confirmed to ABC News on Monday morning that the talks resumed at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, ending a little more than an hour later. The Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, said that the two parties had agreed new exchanges of prisoners and discussed a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine requests a full 30-day ceasefire during which peace negotiations can take place. Russia refused the request, President Vladimir Putin and his senior officials retaining maximalist war objectives dating back to the first days of the Russian invasion.

Among the Kremlin requests are the annexation of four Ukrainian regions – as well as the retention of Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014 – Ukrainian demilitarization and a permanent block on the country’s support to NATO.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Sunday article on social networks that the kyiv delegation would be led by UMEROV.

The president set Ukraine’s objectives for the meeting. “First-a complete and unconditional ceasefire,” he wrote. “Second – the liberation of prisoners. Third – the return of kidnapped children. And in order to establish a reliable and lasting peace and ensure security, the preparation of the meeting at the highest level.”

Zelenskyy and his government have repeatedly accused Putin of having intentionally sabotaging the peace talks since Trump returned in office in January, after promising the campaign track to end the war within 24 hours. Trump’s threat to new sanctions against Russia does not seem to have softened the Kremlin war objectives.

Zelenskyy and his European donors prompted Trump to increase Putin pressure by introducing new sanctions against Russia and providing Ukraine greater military support. Keith Kellogg, the envoy of Trump of Ukraine-Russia, alluded to the growing frustration of the president with Moscow, telling ABC News last week that the president “saw a level of unreasonability which really frustrates him”.

In a telephone conversation with Trump in May, Putin said that Russia would provide a “peace memorandum” describing a possible regulation. Moscow has not yet provided the document. Vladimir Medinsky – A Putin assistant and a long -standing member of the Russian negotiation team – said on Sunday that the Russian team had received the Ukrainian version of the Memorandum de la Paix.

Since the last series of talks in Istanbul, Trump has struck Putin – calling him “absolutely crazy” – and has again criticized Zelenskyy, saying the Ukrainian leader, “everything that comes out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it is better to stop”.

Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament representing the party of Zelenskyy and president of the organization’s foreign affairs committee, told ABC News: “Russia’s main objective is to avoid sanctions by claiming that it is negotiating”.

“Putin is not interested in negotiations and the ceasefire because he hopes to start an offensive during the summer,” added Merezhko.

“On the one hand, he imitates negotiations to avoid Trump’s sanctions and simultaneously to demonstrate that Russia is not politically isolated. However,, on the other hand, Putin hopes that if Trump will decide to withdraw from negotiations, he will leave Ukraine without military support, head-to-head with Russia.”

Discussions occur one day after Ukraine has launched one of the most amazing attacks on war. In what a source in the Ukraine Security Service (SBU) told ABC News was an operation and a half in preparation, the agents used attacks hidden in containers transported by trucks to attack strategic bombers deep in Russian territory.

Moscow used long -range bombers and their cruise missiles to attack Ukrainian cities throughout the large -scale invasion. The SBU claimed to have struck more than 40 military planes in the attacks, which targeted several air bases thousands of kilometers from the territory under Ukrainian control. Zelenskyy said 34% of planes carrying cruise missiles in Russia had been affected.

Speaking at a top of the nine in Bucharest and the Nordic countries in Lithuania on Monday, Zelenskyy said on Sunday’s drone attack: “Russia must achieve what it means to undergo losses. This is what will push it towards diplomacy.”

“It’s a special moment,” added Zelenskyy. “On the one hand, Russia began its summer offensive. But on the other hand, it is forced to participate in diplomacy. And it is both a challenge and also a real opportunity for all of us. It is a chance to end this war.”

The Ministry of Defense of Russia knew the operation as a “terrorist attack”, saying that strikes were “pushed” in three regions, but noting that several planes caught fire in the aerodromes during the attacks of Irkutsk and Murmansk – which the SBU has published.

Also on Sunday, the Russian authorities reported the collapse of two railway bridges and the derailment of two trains in regions bordering Ukraine, which they blamed for “explosions”. At least seven people were killed, authorities said.

On Sunday, in an address, Zelenskyy described the attack on Ukrainian drone a “brilliant operation” and said that Russia “had suffered really important losses”. The president led the attack as a defensive measure.

“We will defend ourselves by all means at our disposal,” said Zelenskyy. “Not a single second, we wanted this war. We offered the Russians a ceasefire. Since March 11, the American proposal for a complete and unconditional ceasefire is on the table. It was the Russians who have chosen to continue the war.”

“The pressure is really necessary – a pressure on Russia which should bring it back to reality,” added Zelenskyy. “Pressure by sanctions. Pressure of our forces. Pressure by diplomacy. All of this must work together.”

Ivan Stupak, a former SBU officer, told ABC News that Ukrainians expect a significant Russian response – “probably mass drone attacks against civilians or the use of oreshnik ballistic missiles”.

“I think there will be no impact on peace negotiations,” added Stupak, citing the offensives of the Russian land in progress and capturing – even if at a high price – more territory in the east of Ukraine, that the Kremlin hopes to take advantage.

Meanwhile, long -range drone and missile attacks continued during the night after Monday morning.

The Air Force of Ukraine said that Russia had launched 80 drones and four missiles in the country during the night, 52 of which were slaughtered or neutralized. The Air Force reported impacts on 12 locations.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had killed 162 Ukrainian drones during nine Russian regions overnight.

Ellie Kaufman and Patrick Reell of ABC News contributed to this report.