Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Scheduled Amid Escalating Drone Strikes

 

Ukraine to Hold Direct Peace Talks with Russia in Istanbul Amid Escalating Conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Sunday that a delegation will travel to Istanbul on Monday for a new round of direct peace negotiations with Russia, even as deadly missile strikes and a record-setting drone assault deepen the three-year war.

According to a document reviewed by Reuters, Ukrainian negotiators intend to propose a roadmap for a lasting peace settlement. The plan includes a 30-day initial ceasefire, the mutual exchange of prisoners, and the repatriation of Ukrainian children taken to Russian-controlled areas. A direct meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin would follow.

The talks come as tensions surge following a Ukrainian drone strike that reportedly destroyed over 40 Russian military aircraft in the deepest attack yet inside Russian territory. A Ukrainian security official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the drones targeted multiple airfields, including the Belaya air base in Irkutsk—more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Ukraine. It marks the first confirmed Ukrainian drone operation in that region.

The official said the strike was the result of an 18-month-long planning effort, overseen personally by Zelensky. Drones were concealed in containers and transported by trucks to avoid detection, according to Ukrainian sources.

Strategic bombers such as the Tu-95 and Tu-22—frequently used by Russia for missile attacks on Ukraine—were among the aircraft hit, an SBU (Ukrainian Security Service) source told Reuters. The claim has not been independently verified.

Igor Kobzev, governor of Russia’s Irkutsk region, acknowledged a drone strike on a military site near the village of Sredny in Usolsky district but did not mention any damage to strategic bombers.

Meanwhile, Russian forces launched a massive aerial assault over the weekend. Ukraine’s air force reported the use of 472 drones—the largest single-day drone attack since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022—alongside seven missiles. One missile strike on a Ukrainian military training site killed at least 12 personnel and wounded over 60.

In the north, Russian troops claimed control of the village of Oleksiivka in Ukraine’s Sumy region. Ukrainian officials have ordered mandatory evacuations in 11 nearby settlements as Moscow escalates its offensive. Fighting also continues in the Donetsk region, particularly near Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Lyman.

As the toll mounts, Zelensky confirmed that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead Ukraine’s delegation at the Istanbul talks.

“We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state, and our people,” Zelensky said in a statement on Telegram.

The Istanbul meeting represents a rare diplomatic opening as frontlines remain active and civilian suffering intensifies.