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The second round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks begins in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Monday, on the heels of a fresh wave of dual UAV and missile strikes. Kiev has intensified drone attacks on Russian territory, targeting civilian infrastructure, trains, and military airfields, which Moscow claims are attempts to sabotage negotiations.

Just a day before scheduled talks, two bridges collapsed in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk border regions, leading to at least seven deaths and dozens of injured. The incidents were caused by sabotage, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.

Later that same day, drones targeted military airfields in Murmansk Region in the country’s north, in Ivanovo and Ryazan regions in western Russia, and in Irkutsk Region in Siberia and Amur Region in the Far East. In response to Kiev’s raids, Russia has launched several retaliatory strikes targeting Ukraine’s defense industry facilities, as well as military assembly points and warehouses.

Some military bloggers and analysts suggest that Kiev may have undertaken such actions to demonstrate to its Western supporters that it still has the means to continue fighting Russia, as well as to intimidate the Russian population.

On Sunday afternoon, Russia’s delegation, led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, arrived in Istanbul. Ukraine’s team for the meeting is headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. According to Reuters, the delegation from Kiev will propose a 30-day ceasefire, prisoner exchanges (the “all for all”principle), and the return of Ukrainian children from Russian-held areas, aiming for an eventual meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky.

The previous round of Istanbul talks on May 16, the first since 2022, saw 1,000 prisoners exchanged per side. Both parties agreed to draft ceasefire proposals for today’s discussion. Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified that Putin is open to holding high-level direct talks with Kiev. However, he said this should be preceded by tangible progress in the current negotiations.

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