Delegations from Ukraine and Russia are expected to meet on June 2 in Istanbul for the next round of peace talks, despite the intensification of airstrikes against each other.
Russian state media reported that the Kremlin's negotiating team arrived at the Turkish city's Ataturk airport in the late hours of June 1, ahead of talks expected to begin on Monday at 1 p.m. (noon in Pristina).
Meanwhile, through a presidential decree, Kiev said that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead the Ukrainian delegation, which includes more than a dozen other officials. The decree did not specify whether the team has already arrived in Turkey.
The US State Department said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on June 1 to discuss the upcoming talks.
According to the State Department, the phone call took place at the request of Russia, and Rubio reiterated President Donald Trump's call for continued direct talks to "achieve a lasting peace."
Ahead of the talks, Ukraine appeared to strengthen its negotiating position after its forces shot down several bomber aircraft over Russia, with drones that were smuggled into the country via trucks and then launched from nearby locations.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said at least 40 bombers may have been hit during the June 1 attack, described as an "absolutely brilliant result" by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who added that over a year and a half had been spent preparing the operation.
On the eve of the talks, both sides still appear to be far from reaching an agreement to cease the fighting, while experts say the chances of an agreement remain slim.
Zelensky said on May 30 that the Kremlin was “doing everything” to ensure that proposed peace talks would produce no results, after a major drone attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city injured several people, and after a series of airstrikes on Kiev hit numerous civilian and residential sites.
Ukraine agreed in April to a 30-day ceasefire, as proposed by the US, but Russia has not shown a willingness to sign it, and many of Ukraine's allies have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to drag out the process in order to exploit the current situation on the battlefield, where Russia has advanced into territories it aims to keep occupied. /REL (A2 Televizion)
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