As they prepared to hold a second round of direct peace talks in Turkiye, Russia and Ukraine continued to launch air attacks overnight.
Despite recent rhetoric from Kyiv suggesting it might not participate in the follow-up to the first round of negotiations last month, which saw little progress in the Russian-led invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
The Russian negotiators announced their arrival in the Turkish city, where Kyiv and Moscow are scheduled to present their respective memorandums on peace terms under the guise of pressure from the US.
Ukraine complained that Russia continues to make unacceptable and unrealistic demands in the final round of negotiations, and only a prisoner swap was agreed.
Russia has resisted being asked to advance its memorandum of understanding with Kyiv. The TASS news agency cited Vladimir Medinsky, the head negotiator for the president, as saying the Kremlin had received Ukraine’s proposal.
Moscow has pressed for Moscow to agree to a roadmap for lasting peace, according to the Reuters news agency  , with no restrictions on its military might or international recognition of Russian rule over some of Ukraine.
In the face of uncertainty over the US’s commitment to Ukraine under President Donald Trump, Ukrainian officials were busy coordinating with European allies as the delegations arrived in Turkiye.
The Ukrainian delegation met with representatives from Germany, Italy, and the UK before the meeting with the Russians.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, met with the leaders of NATO’s eastern and northern countries, some of Kyiv’s most steadfast supporters, at around the same time.
Putin will win if Ukraine isn’t present at the NATO summit, he said last week in a statement referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that “not over Ukraine, but over NATO.”
In the event of a ceasefire or peace agreement, Zelenskyy wants the Western military alliance to offer Ukraine security guarantees, something Moscow has labeled as “unacceptable.”
Before the talks, Zelenskyy had called for a “full and unconditional ceasefire.”
Second, prisoners’ release. Third, he stated in a social media post about the return of kidnapped children.
Zelenskyy also requested a direct meeting with Putin. Following the delegations’ reaching wider “agreements,” the Kremlin has previously stated that such a meeting could only occur after they have reached a consensus.
Russia is still urging a ceasefire deal to address the conflict’s “root causes.” It has repeatedly cited limiting Ukraine’s military capabilities, allowing it to join NATO, and accepting territorial concessions.
massive bombardment
Both nations reported massive overnight bombardments as the delegations arrived in Istanbul.
162 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over the bordering regions, most of which were intercepted by Russia’s Ministry of Defense, according to a statement released on Monday from the country’s defense ministry.
Ukraine launched one of its biggest and most successful attacks on Russian soil a day earlier, striking hundreds of strategic bombers in Siberia and other military installations there.
Meanwhile, Ukraine reported that 80 drones flew over its territory and struck 12 targets overnight.
A 40-year-old man was killed by artillery fire in the Korabelny district, according to Kherson’s governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, on Telegram.
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a Reply