Russia, Ukraine hold peace talks in Turkiye

ISTANBUL — Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Turkiye on Monday for their second round of direct peace talks in just over two weeks, aiming to bring an end to the three-year conflict after a string of stunning attacks over the weekend.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan delivered the opening remarks at the meeting held at the Ciragan Palace on the European side of the city.

Fidan emphasized that the priority of the talks is to achieve a lasting peace, adding that Turkiye stands ready to take any necessary steps to facilitate the peace process.

The delegations were meeting behind closed doors.

Oncu Keceli, a Turkish foreign ministry spokesman said after the meeting, which lasted just over an hour, that the meeting "didn't end negatively".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday after the meeting that Ukraine and Russia are working on a fresh exchange of prisoners of war.

The Ukrainian delegation was led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

The Russian delegation, headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrived the previous evening, Russian state media reported.

Amid the escalation in fighting, expectations of the talks in Istanbul had been low. Ukraine said on Sunday it launched a spectacular surprise attack on four Russian air bases thousands of kilometers apart, destroying more than 40 warplanes.

The raid was unprecedented in its scope and geographic reach, targeting bases in Russia's Arctic, Siberia and Far East more than 7,000 kilometers from Ukraine.

The head of the Ukrainian security service, Vasyl Malyuk, who led the planning of the operation, said its success was "a major slap in the face for Russia's military power". Zelensky called it a "brilliant operation".

Meanwhile, Russia on Sunday fired the biggest number of drones — 472 — at Ukraine in the past three years.

Escalation in fighting

US-led efforts to push the two sides into accepting a ceasefire have so far failed. Ukraine accepted that step, but the Kremlin effectively rejected it.

The fighting has frustrated US President Donald Trump's goal of bringing about a quick end to the conflict. A week ago, he expressed impatience with Putin.

Senior officials in both countries have indicated the two sides remain far apart on the key conditions for stopping the conflict.

The first round of talks, held on May 16, also in Istanbul, ended after less than two hours. While both sides agreed on a large prisoner swap, there was no breakthrough.

Zelensky had said that "if the Istanbul meeting brings nothing, that clearly means strong new sanctions are urgently, urgently needed" against Russia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that the European Union was preparing its 18th package of "hard-biting" sanctions targeting Russia's energy revenues.

The measures will include restrictions on Nord Stream infrastructure, additional curbs on Russia's banking sector and a reduction of the crude oil price cap, she added.

International concerns about the conflict's consequences, as well as trade tensions, drove Asian share prices lower on Monday while oil prices surged.

Fierce fighting has continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer front line, and both sides have hit each other's territory with deep strikes.

Agencies - Xinhua