Talks Yet to Lead to Ceasefire, Russia-Ukraine Fighting Continues

ISTANBUL, TUESDAY - The second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine earlier this week in Istanbul has not made much progress. The two countries have only agreed to exchange 6,000 bodies of soldiers who have died in the war that has been ongoing for three years.

During the negotiations, fierce battles continued on the front lines. A report from the Russian news agency RIA on Tuesday (3/5/2025) morning local time stated that Ukrainian attacks resulted in the loss of electricity supply in the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region.

The negotiations on Monday were the second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine. Previously, delegations from both countries had met in Istanbul on May 16, 2025.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan led the second round of negotiations at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul. The Ukrainian delegation was headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, while the Russian delegation was led by Vladimir Medinsky, an advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In the negotiations, both delegations exchanged documents outlining their peace roadmap. This second round of negotiations lasted only a short time, approximately one hour.

According to the explanation provided by the Ukrainian delegation to The Associated Press (AP), Russia has put forward several conditions to Ukraine for ending the conflict. Among these conditions, Russia demands that Ukraine withdraw its troops from four regions that were annexed by Russia in September 2022 but were never fully captured.

Russia urged Ukraine to halt its mobilization efforts and freeze the shipment of weapons from the West. This demand was previously conveyed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia also requested Ukraine to cease the redeployment of troops and to prohibit the presence of third-country military forces in its territory. Additionally, Russia asked Ukraine to cancel its efforts to join NATO, impose restrictions on its armed forces, and recognize the Russian language as an official language of Ukraine equal to the Ukrainian language.

Russia subsequently proposed that Ukraine end its state of military emergency and hold general elections. After a new leader of Ukraine is elected, both countries can sign a comprehensive peace agreement that would allow Ukraine to declare its neutral status.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told reporters that Kyiv needs a week to review the documents containing Russia's ceasefire requirements and to decide on a response. "Ukraine proposes further negotiations between June 20 and June 30," said Umerov.

From yesterday's negotiations, the delegations of both countries agreed to exchange 6,000 bodies of soldiers who died in battles over the past three years. Both parties will also establish a commission to exchange severely wounded soldiers.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Vilnius, Lithuania, stated on Monday that a new prisoner of war release is being prepared from the meeting in Istanbul. The discussions on May 16, 2025, also resulted in a prisoner exchange. A total of 1,000 prisoners from both sides were exchanged.

Zelenskyy added that Russia has stated it is ready for a ceasefire for two to three days. However, according to Zelenskyy, that time is merely what Russia needs to gather bodies from the battlefield, not a full ceasefire.

"I think they are foolish, because the essence of a ceasefire is to prevent people from being killed in the first place. So, you can see their mindset; it is merely a brief pause in the war for them," he added.

In addition to the release of prisoners, according to Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian delegation submitted a list of approximately 400 children who were kidnapped by Russia. However, Russia responded by proposing to return about 10 children. According to the Head of the Russian Delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, the children will be returned if their parents or guardians can be located.

From the Russia-Ukraine war, in 2023 the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. The ICC accused Putin and Lvova-Belova of abducting children from Ukraine.

From the two peace negotiations, senior officials from both countries stated that the negotiations are still far from reaching an agreement for a ceasefire. Prior to the implementation of these two negotiations, the United States had also initiated discussions for a ceasefire.

But so far the US effort has failed. Ukraine has accepted the proposed ceasefire, but the Kremlin has rejected it.

The relentless battle between Russia and Ukraine continues unabated. The fighting undermines U.S. President Donald Trump's goal of swiftly ending the war.

A week ago, Trump expressed his impatience towards Putin as Moscow bombarded Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles for the third consecutive night.

Despite the lack of progress, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the fact that both parties met again on Monday was an achievement in itself amid intense fighting. "The fact that the meeting took place despite yesterday's incident is an important success in its own right," he said in a televised speech.

Zelenskyy stated that if the Istanbul meeting yields no results, it clearly indicates that strong new sanctions are very much needed against Russia.

During the second round of negotiations, fierce battles continued on the front lines. Both sides attacked each other's territories with deep strikes.

Russian forces shelled the Kherson region in southern Ukraine. The Russian attack is reported to have killed three people and injured 19 others, including two children.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is attacking the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region. A report from the Russian news agency RIA on Tuesday morning local time stated that the attack caused the region to lose its electricity supply.

"As a result of the shooting by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, high-voltage equipment was damaged in the northwestern region of Zaporizhzhia," RIA reported, citing Yevgeny Balitsky, Head of the Zaporizhzhia Region Administration established by Russia.

"Nevertheless, the power outage does not affect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," reported the TASS news agency, quoting an official at the power plant.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the Russian Air Force shot down 162 Ukrainian drones in eight regions of Russia overnight, as well as in the Crimean Peninsula. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian Air Defense destroyed 52 out of 80 drones launched by Russia.

Ahead of the second round of negotiations, Ukraine conducted a spider web operation on Sunday (1/6/2025). Referring to a BBC report, Ukraine deployed more than 100 unmanned aerial vehicles to attack five Russian air bases.

The attack titled "Spider Web" targeted Russia's long-range nuclear-capable bombers. Explosions were reported in several time zones across Russia, ranging from the northern region of Murmansk above the Arctic Circle to the eastern Amur region. All these areas are located more than 8,000 km away from Ukraine.

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the attacks occurred in five regions of Russia. These include Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur. Damaged fighter jets were found in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, while in other locations, the drone attacks were successfully repelled.

According to Ukraine, 41 strategic bomber aircraft were hit in the attack, and at least 13 aircraft were destroyed. The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) estimates that Moscow has incurred losses of up to seven billion US dollars from the attack. However, Moscow has not confirmed the losses of the aircraft, other than stating that several planes have been damaged.

The head of the SBU, Vasyl Maliuk, stated that the unmanned aerial vehicles were smuggled into Russia by placing them inside wooden cabins. These cabins were installed in the back of trucks and concealed under the roof. The unmanned aerial vehicles can be released via remote control.

The trucks were then instructed to head towards locations near the airbase that were targeted. The truck drivers appeared to be unaware of their cargo. Subsequently, the drones were launched and directed towards their targets.

The Russian government news agency Ria Novosti interviewed a truck driver transporting the drones. He stated that he and other drivers attempted to bring down the drones flying out of the truck with stones.

According to unverified reports uploaded by the Russian Telegram channel Baza, the drivers whose trucks served as launch sites for the drones all recounted similar stories. They received orders from entrepreneurs to deliver wooden cabins to various locations across Russia.

Some of the truck drivers stated that they received further instructions via phone regarding where to park the trucks. When they did so, they were surprised to see a "drone" flying out of the truck.

In a social media post on Sunday night, President Zelenskyy stated that 117 drones were used in an attack that was prepared over the course of one year, six months, and nine days. Zelenskyy referred to the operation as a "brilliant operation" that will be recorded in history.

The effort has destroyed or severely damaged nearly one-third of Moscow's strategic bomber fleet. "The complex attack is a severe blow to Russia's military strength," said Maliuk, who leads the planning of the attack.

Russia has stated that it has detained individuals connected to the attack. Meanwhile, Zelensky declared, "The people who assisted in the operation have been withdrawn from Russian territory. They are now safe." (AP/AFP/REUTERS)