A day after Kyiv conducted a surprise drone strike on Russia’s nuclear-capable aircraft, which President Volodymyr Zelensky said was a year and a half in the planning, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators convened in Istanbul on Monday for their second round of direct peace negotiations.<\/p>\n
The discussions lasted a little over an hour and started late. Statements from the two delegations indicated that nothing had been done to close the gap between their stances, especially on the issue of a ceasefire, even though both parties agreed to cooperate on a fresh prisoner exchange. Following the first round of talks between the warring nations since shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022, which took place in the Turkish capital last month.<\/p>\n
It’s unclear yet if Ukraine’s audacious airstrike on Sunday would make that route easier or more difficult. Although some observers have cautioned that the operation, which targeted Russian airfields hundreds of kilometres from Ukraine’s borders, will merely strengthen Moscow’s resolve, Kyiv has long attempted to convince the Kremlin that there are costs associated with extending its assault.<\/p>\n
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