Ukraine and Russia Hold Brief Cease-Fire Talks in Istanbul Amid Escalating Drone Strikes and Stalled Peace Efforts

by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

ISTANBUL (Worthy News) – Russian and Ukrainian delegations held a short-lived round of cease-fire negotiations in Istanbul on Monday, less than 24 hours after a sweeping Ukrainian drone assault targeted multiple Russian airbases, destroying or damaging over 40 military aircraft, including strategic bombers.

The meeting, hosted at Ciragan Palace and facilitated by senior Turkish officials, marked only the second face-to-face negotiation between the warring sides in the past three years. Despite the high stakes, the talks lasted just one hour and yielded no immediate breakthroughs. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not attend the session.

Photos from the event revealed a stark contrast between the delegations: Ukrainian negotiators arrived in military uniforms, while their Russian counterparts wore business suits. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov led Kyiv’s team, while Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky headed the Russian side.

Umerov confirmed that Ukraine presented a list of deported Ukrainian children it seeks returned and expressed hope for a new prisoner exchange. Zelenskyy later announced that both sides were preparing for another round of swaps, following a prior exchange of 1,000 prisoners per side in May.

However, Umerov voiced frustration with Russia’s lack of preparation, saying Ukraine submitted its cease-fire conditions days earlier but received no reply from Moscow until the morning of the talks. “We are insisting on a full and unconditional end to the killing now,” he said.

The drone strikes that preceded the meeting are among Ukraine’s most ambitious to date, hitting five Russian airbases across multiple time zones. Ukrainian officials say the operation, which took a year to plan, used commercial drones smuggled in trucks to infiltrate deep into Russian territory. Aircraft destroyed reportedly included A-50 early warning planes and Tu-95 and Tu-22M bombers–key platforms in Russia’s strategic arsenal.

Zelenskyy, speaking Monday, said Russia would only come to the table seriously when it suffers enough losses. “Russia must feel what its losses mean. That is what will push it toward diplomacy,” he said.

Russia responded with a massive drone barrage of its own, launching 472 drones across Ukraine, reportedly targeting both military and civilian sites. Explosions were also reported over the weekend at two key bridges in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions, adding to the tension.

Meanwhile, the diplomatic process remains shaky. The United States, under President Donald Trump, has called for an immediate cease-fire as a condition for further peace efforts. Zelenskyy has agreed to those terms, but Putin has yet to do so, instead offering shifting demands–including that Ukraine cede four eastern regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia, which Russia has failed to fully capture.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance warned last month that Washington may pull back from brokering peace if either side shows unwillingness to negotiate in good faith. “Putin is asking for too much,” he said, adding that continued obstruction could trigger additional U.S. sanctions against Moscow.

Despite Monday’s inconclusive talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed cautious optimism, saying, “The eyes of the whole world are focused on the contacts here.” Kyiv has said it will take a week to review Moscow’s positions before responding.

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