ISTANBUL (AP) — Delegations from Russia and Ukraine were to meet in Turkey on Monday for their second round of direct peace talks in just over two weeks, although expectations were low for any significant progress on ending the three-year war after a string of stunning attacks over the weekend.

Ukraine said Sunday it launched a spectacular surprise attack on four Russian airbases thousands of kilometers (miles) apart, destroying more than 40 warplanes. The raid was unprecedented in its scope and geographic reach, targeting bases in Russia’s Arctic, Siberia and Far East more than 7,000 kilometers (4,300 miles) from Ukraine.

The head of the Ukrainian security service, Vasyl Maliuk, who led the planning of the operation, said its success was “a major slap in the face for Russia’s military power.” He said the drones struck simultaneously in three time zones and the complex logistics took over a year and a half to prepare.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a “brilliant operation.”

Meanwhile, Russia on Sunday fired the biggest number of drones — 472 — at Ukraine since its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s air force said, in an apparent effort to overwhelm air defenses. That was part of a recently escalating campaign of strikes in civilian areas of Ukraine.

Hopes not high for Istanbul talks

Amid the escalation in fighting, the talks in Istanbul appeared unlikely to make much progress.

U.S.-led efforts to push the two sides into accepting a ceasefire have so far failed. Ukraine accepted that step, but the Kremlin effectively rejected it.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said Sunday that “Russia is attempting to delay negotiations and prolong the war in order to make additional battlefield gains.”

The relentless fighting has frustrated U.S. President Donald Trump’s goal of bringing about a quick end to the war. A week ago, he expressed impatience with Russian President Vladimir Putin as Moscow pounded Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles for a third straight night. Trump said on social media that Putin “has gone absolutely CRAZY!”

Senior officials in both countries have indicated the two sides remain far apart on the key conditions for stopping the war.

The first round of talks, held on May 16, also in Istanbul, ended after less than two hours. While both sides agreed on a large prisoner swap, there was no breakthrough.

Ukraine upbeat after strikes on air bases

Ukraine was triumphant after targeting distant Russian air bases. The official Russian response was muted, with the attack getting little coverage on the state-controlled television. Russia-1 TV channel on Sunday evening spent for a little over a minute on it with a brief Ministry of Defense’ statement read out before images shifted to Russian drone strikes on Ukrainian positions.

Zelenskyy said the setbacks for the Kremlin would help force it to the negotiating table, even as its pursues a summer offensive on the battlefield.

“Russia must feel what its losses mean. That is what will push it toward diplomacy,” he said at a summit Monday in Vilnius, Lithuania with leaders from the Nordic nations and countries on NATO’s eastern flank.

Ukraine has occasionally struck air bases hosting Russia’s nuclear capable strategic bombers since early in the war, prompting the Russian air force to redeploy most of them to the regions farther from the front line.

Because Sunday’s drones were launched from trucks close to the bases targeted in five Russian regions, military defenses had virtually no time to prepare for them.

Many Russian military bloggers chided the military for its failure to build protective shields for the bombers despite previous attacks, but the large size of the planes makes that a challenging task.

The attacks were “a big blow to Russian strategic airpower” and exposed significant vulnerabilities in Moscow’s military capabilities, according to Phillips O’Brien, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

“This is hard to underestimate,” O’Brien wrote in an analysis.

Once again, eyes turn to Istanbul

Zelenskyy said that “if the Istanbul meeting brings nothing, that clearly means strong new sanctions are urgently, urgently needed” against Russia.

The Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was in place, Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, said in a message posted on the Ukrainian Embassy WhatsApp group.

The Russian delegation, headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, arrived the previous evening, Russian state media reported.

Officials said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan would chair the talks, with officials from the Turkish intelligence agency also present.

International concerns about the war’s consequences, as well as trade tensions, drove Asian share prices lower Monday while oil prices surged.

Front-line fighting and shelling grinds on

Fierce fighting has continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, and both sides have hit each other’s territory with deep strikes.

Russian forces shelled Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, killing three people and injuring 19 others, including two children, regional officials said Monday.

Also, a missile strike and shelling around the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing five people and injured nine others, officials said.

Russian air defenses downed 162 Ukrainian drones over eight Russian regions overnight, as well as over the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday.

Ukrainian air defenses damaged 52 out of 80 drones launched by Russia overnight, the Ukrainian air force said.

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An earlier version of this story was corrected to show that the first round of talks took place on May 16, not May 17.

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Associated Press writers Suzan Frazer in Ankara, Turkey; Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukrainian forces have wiped out dozens of Russian military aircraft, including nuclear bombers, in a massive drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s air bases deep inside the country, Kyiv sources are claiming.

The mission carried out by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) using first-person-view (FPV) drones hit 41 Russian heavy bombers at four separate airfields thousands of miles from Ukraine, a security source told the Kyiv Independent on Sunday.

The drones were reportedly smuggled into the country hidden in trucks.

TU-95 “Bear” nuclear bombers, TU-22 “Backfire” fast-attack strike bombers and A-50 “Mainstay” command-and-control jets were among the aircraft that were destroyed in the strike, according to reports.

One of the bases hit was in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, almost 2,500 miles from Ukraine.

Others targeted were in Murmansk in the Arctic Circle, Ryazan southeast of Moscow, and Ivanovo, to the northeast of the Russian capital.

The operation, codenamed “Web,” took some 18 months of planning and, if the details are confirmed, will deal a huge blow to Moscow’s efforts to launch long-range missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.

“The SBU first transported FPV drones to Russia, and later on the territory of the Russian Federation, the drones were hidden under the roofs of mobile wooden cabins, already placed on trucks,” the source claimed.

“At the right moment, the roofs of the cabins were opened remotely, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers.”

Служба безопасности Украины организовала атаку на российские аэродромы сразу в нескольких регионах, расположенных далеко от российско-украинской границы. Об этом пишут «Украинская правда», «Бабель», «РБК-Украина» и другие издания со ссылкой на «источники в спецслужбах».

По словам источников изданий, операцией, которая получила название «Паутина», лично руководит глава СБУ Василий Малюк. Как утверждается, в результате атаки повреждения получили более 40 самолетов, среди них — А-50, Ту-95 и Ту-22 М3. Действия СБУ нанесли российской армии ущерб примерно в два миллиарда долларов, утверждают собеседники изданий.

По данным украинских СМИ, под атаку попали как минимум четыре аэродрома — Дягилево в Рязанской области, Оленья в Мурманской области, Белая в Иркутской области и Иваново в Ивановской области.

Губернатор Иркутской области Игорь Кобзев подтвердил информацию о налете дронов, отметив, что это первая атака на территории Сибири с начала войны. Он официально сообщил, что ее целью стала военная часть в поселке Средний и что «угрозы жизни и здоровью мирных жителей нет».

Губернатор Мурманской области Андрей Чибис тоже подтвердил факт налета дронов на регион, но не уточнил, что стало их целью. Губернатор Рязанской области Павел Малков отчитался лишь о факте инцидента с БПЛА, но, по его словам, повреждения получила лишь крыша одного из частных домов.

Телеграм-каналы Baza и Mash сообщили, что дроны в Мурманской и Иркутской областях вылетали из фур, припаркованных на трассах неподалеку. Водитель фуры в Мурманской области задержан, Baza пишет, что он, вероятно, не знал о том, что находится в его автомобиле.

Губернатор Кобзев подтвердил, что дрон действительно вылетел из фуры. «Источник, откуда были выпущены дроны, уже блокирован. Это фура. Главное — не нужно поддаваться панике», — написал он в телеграм-канале.

Провоенный телеграм-канал «Рыбарь» сообщил, что в результате атаки российская армия потеряла несколько самолетов Ту-95М. «Как мы уже ранее говорили, борты стратегической авиации Ту-95 и Ту-22 давно сняты с производства и восстановить их нечем. Соотвественно, данные потери не восстановить. Это без преуменьшения очень серьезный урон стратегической составляющей, вызванный как серьезными просчетами в работе спецслужб, так и наплевательским отношением к авиатехнике, которая даже после всех атак стояла на открытом поле без укрытий», — пишет «Рыбарь».

В свою очередь канал Fighterbomber пишет: «Сегодняшний день позже назовут черным днем дальней авиации России. А день еще не закончился».

Как утверждают источники украинских СМИ, Служба безопасности Украины готовила спецоперацию «Паутина» более полутора лет, ход подготовки контролировал лично Владимир Зеленский.

Операцию называют сверхсложной с логистической точки зрения. Сначала якобы в Россию переправили FPV-дроны, а затем — мобильные деревянные ящики. В них были спрятаны дроны, после их разместили в грузовиках. В нужный момент беспилотники дистанционно активировали. Источники в украинской спецслужбе заявляют, что участники этой спецоперации уже давно находятся в Украине.

В общей сложности в ходе операции поражен 41 самолет стратегической авиации РФ, утверждают в СБУ.

Официально в Киеве операцию не комментировали.

На понедельник, 2 июня, запланирован новый раунд переговоров России и Украины в Стамбуле. Предполагается, что на нем стороны обменяются меморандумами, содержащими условия прекращения огня с каждой стороны.

Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, has stated that Russia is "in principle" ready to consider a ceasefire with Ukraine, but only if the other side takes reciprocal steps.

Source: Russian media, citing Nebenzya in a speech

Quote: "In principle, we are ready to consider the possibility of establishing a ceasefire regime, which could subsequently allow us to move towards a sustainable resolution of the root causes of the conflict. But for this, we must see reciprocal steps from the other side.

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For the duration of the ceasefire, at the very least, Western countries must stop supplying weapons to the Kyiv regime and Ukraine must halt mobilisation."

Details: Nebenzya said that Russia is not satisfied with a scenario that would allow Ukraine to "catch its breath, lick its wounds and stop the collapse of the eastern front".

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Russia is prepared to consider a ceasefire in its war against Ukraine, but only if Kyiv stops receiving Western weapons and halts mobilization, Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's envoy to the United Nations, said on May 30, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

"In principle, we are ready to consider the possibility of establishing a ceasefire, which would subsequently allow for a sustainable resolution of the root causes of the conflict," Nebenzya said at a U.N. Security Council meeting.

Russia, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, convened the meeting to accuse European nations of undermining peace efforts. The Russian ambassador said that any ceasefire would require Western governments to end their support for Ukraine's armed forces.

"During the ceasefire, it is essential that Western countries stop supplying weapons to the Kyiv regime (the Ukrainian government) and that Ukraine halt its mobilization," Nebenzya said.

The statement comes just days ahead of the next round of peace talks in Istanbul on June 2. Despite the stated offer, Nebenzya also pledged that Moscow would "continue and intensify military operations for as long as necessary."

Ukraine swiftly rejected the demand as disingenuous.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the remarks a "slap in the face to all who advocate for peace," including countries like China and Brazil, which have pressed both sides to end the war.

"When the entire world insists that it is time to stop the killing immediately and engage in meaningful diplomacy, Russia uses the highest fora to spew such belligerent rhetoric," Sybiha wrote on X.

"We insist that the pressure on Moscow be increased already now. They do not understand normal attitude or diplomatic language; it is time to speak to them in the language of sanctions and increased support for Ukraine."

Despite growing global calls for a truce, Russia has so far rejected Ukraine's U.S.-backed proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire. The Kremlin has instead escalated its aerial assaults across Ukrainian territory and is reportedly preparing a new summer offensive.

Moscow is expected to present a draft "ceasefire memorandum" at the June 2 talks in Istanbul. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on May 29 that the proposal would be delivered by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led Russia's delegation at the previous round of talks.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said on May 29 that Kyiv is open to the talks but insists that Russia share the memorandum ahead of the meeting.

According to Reuters, Moscow's demands for ending the war include Ukraine's withdrawal from four partially occupied regions, a pledge to abandon NATO ambitions, and the lifting of key Western sanctions — conditions Kyiv and its allies have categorically rejected.

Представитель России в ООН Василий Небензя заявил на заседании Совета безопасности, что Запад должен на время перемирия остановить снабжение Украины оружием, а Украина — мобилизацию.

По словам Небензи, Москва готова провести второй раунд переговоров в Стамбуле в понедельник, чтобы обменяться с Киевом меморандумами о подходах к переговорному процессу. При этом Небензя заявил: "Мы будем продолжать сражаться столько, сколько это будет необходимо".

По словам американского представителя в Совбезе ООН, США разделяют обеспокоенность других членов совета о том, что "Россия может быть не заинтересована в мире и вместо этого стремится к достижению военной победы".

Ранее глава офиса президента Украины Андрей Ермак заявил, что делегация Киева готова принять участие во втором раунде переговоров с Россией в Стамбуле, но по-прежнему ждёт от Москвы меморандум об условиях мирного урегулирования конфликта. По словам Ермака, Киев заинтересован в конструктивной дискуссии, которая без документа невозможна. Украина свой уже подготовила.

Российские официальные лица не раз заявляли, что "меморандум почти готов" и скоро будет передан Украине, но, по последним данным этого не произошло.

В свою очередь, представитель МИД России Мария Захарова рассказала, что российская делегация привезёт на переговоры в Стамбул не только проект меморандума, но и другие предложения по прекращению огня. Деталей Захарова не раскрыла.

Представитель Кремля Дмитрий Песков в пятницу заявил журналистам, что до переговоров в Стамбуле положения как российского, так и украинского вариантов требований к миру раскрываться не будут.

• Первые с 2022 года прямые переговоры России и Украины состоялись 16 мая в Стамбуле. Их итогом стал обмен военнопленными по формуле "1000 на 1000" и формирование сторонами условий прекращения огня. Обмен состоялся с 23 по 25 мая.
• Позднее Украина заявила, что передала США и России меморандум с условиями мирного урегулирования. Он содержит положения о прекращении огня "на суше, на море и в воздухе", а также мониторинге соблюдения перемирия международными партнерами".