Russian and Ukrainian Negotiators Arrive in Istanbul for Second Round of Talks

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators arrived Monday at a palace in Istanbul for a second round of renewed peace talks, just a day after Ukraine launched stunning coordinated drone attacks on airbases across Russia and as nightly airstrikes continued on both sides.

The two sides are expected to discuss their respective ideas for what a full ceasefire and a longer-term path to peace should look like amid stark disagreements and pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has warned that Washington could abandon its role as a mediator if there's no progress.

The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived at the Ciragan Palace by the Bosphorus, along with senior Turkish officials, though there was some unexplained delay in the start of talks. They had originally been slated to begin around 1 p.m. local time, Turkish officials told Russian state media.

Russia’s delegation, led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, arrived Sunday, while Ukraine’s team, headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, flew in early Monday. Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin is expected to take part in the talks, according to a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry cited by RIA Novosti.

The two sides last met in Istanbul on May 16, when they agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each. However, those talks failed to produce a broader ceasefire agreement, let alone a roadmap to end the war, which has been a priority for Trump since he took office in January.

During that first round of talks, Russian negotiators reportedly demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from four partially occupied regions in eastern Ukraine. According to The Economist, Moscow also threatened to capture the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.

Since then, Ukrainian officials say around 50,000 Russian troops have massed near Sumy in preparation for a possible offensive. President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have hinted that further territorial ambitions remain on the table.

Monday’s talks come in the wake of Ukraine’s operation “Spider’s Web,” a large-scale drone assault involving hundreds of remotely operated drones that targeted multiple Russian airbases and allegedly destroyed dozens of strategic bombers. Zelensky confirmed his delegation would travel to Istanbul only after the operation was completed.

Heading into the second round, Russia’s demands for an end to the war remain the central question. After the May talks, both sides agreed to draft separate proposals, or “memoranda,” outlining conditions to end the war.

U.S. officials and Russian negotiator Medinsky have both confirmed receiving Ukraine’s memorandum. According to Reuters, which reviewed the document, Kyiv’s proposals include a 30-day ceasefire, a full prisoner exchange, the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russian-occupied areas and a possible meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

Russia has not made its proposals public and said it would deliver them in person during Monday’s meeting. Zelensky said Sunday that he had yet to receive Moscow’s draft, but added: “Despite this, we will try to achieve at least some progress on the path toward peace.”

Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg said British, German and French security advisors are also expected in Istanbul for the talks. According to Kellogg, the next stage will focus on merging the two memoranda into a single document that could serve as the basis for ending the war.

Reuters contributed reporting.