CNN
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Representatives from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for their second direct peace conference the day after Kiev launched a shock drone attack on Russian nuclear bombers.
After the initial discussions in Turkey last month, after the first discussions between countries that Russia will soon fight after a full-scale invasion in early 2022, the two sides agreed to share terms for a complete ceasefire and potentially lasting peace. Zelensky said on Sunday that Ukraine presented Moscow with a “logical and realistic” request, but Russia has not yet shared a memorandum.
“We don’t have that,” Zelensky said. “The Turkey side doesn’t have that. There is no Russian document either on the US side. Nevertheless, we will at least try to at least achieve progress on the road to peace.”
It is not yet clear whether Ukraine’s bold Sunday air raids will streamline the path or make it even more troublesome. Kiev has long been trying to impress the Kremlin about the cost of extending the campaign, but some analysts warn that the operation that smashed Russian airfields thousands of miles from the Ukrainian border will only fill Moscow’s resolutions.
The mission, called the “Spider Web,” was one of the most important blows Ukraine landed against Russia in a full-scale war of over three years. Ukrainian security service SBU said it was hiding in a wooden mobile home that smuggled drones into Russia and latched into trucks. The roof was then opened remotely, drones were deployed, and strikes began at four Russian airfields in the vast country.
SBU head Vasul Malyuk said the attack caused an estimated $7 billion in damage, attacking 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers, a total of 41 aircraft. These targets were “completely legal,” Malik said he emphasized that Russia used planes through the conflict to smash Ukraine’s “peaceful cities.”
The operation has been heavily bombarded by Russia since peace talks began in mid-May, providing a much-needed boost in search of Ukraine’s morale, which has endured the expected summer attacks. According to Ukrainian officials, Moscow has launched a record 472 drones in Ukraine overnight until Sunday.
At a summit in Lithuania on Monday, Zelensky said the operation proved to have a “more powerful tactical solution” than Russia.
“This is a special moment. On the one hand, Russia has launched a summer attack, but on the other hand, it is forced to engage in diplomacy,” Zelensky said.
The talks in Istanbul are testing how authentic the engagement is. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to hold a “in-person meeting” with Ukraine in Turkey, but did not show up despite Zelensky agreeing to meet. Eventually, Moscow sent a low-level delegation to negotiate instead.
President Donald Trump last week said Putin said last week that he “was absolutely crazy” after Moscow launched the biggest air attack of the war, a latest indication of his frustration that the war he ends in a day has barely stopped.
Trump has repeatedly conveyed the consequences if Russia and Ukraine don’t engage in his peace process, but he has resisted growing calls from Republican lawmakers up until now, but has resisted Putin’s use of sanctions to pressure him to involve his war.
Speaking in Lithuania, Zelensky said Monday’s meeting “if it doesn’t bring anything, it clearly means that strong new sanctions are urgently and urgently necessary.”
