Russia, Ukraine begin peace talks after major attacks
Russian and Ukrainian officials are holding their second round of direct peace talks since 2022 with no sign they are any closer to an agreement, one day after Kyiv struck some of Moscow's nuclear-capable bombers.
The two sides are expected to discuss their respective ideas for what a full ceasefire and a longer term path to peace should look like amid stark disagreements and pressure from President Donald Trump, who has warned the US could abandon its role as a mediator if there's no progress.
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived at Istanbul's sumptuous Ciragan Palace by the Bosphorus, along with a senior Turkish official.
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Moscow's delegation, said Russia had received Ukraine's draft memorandum for a peace accord ahead of the talks. There was no word on whether Kyiv had received Russia's draft. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov is heading the Ukrainian delegation.
Their last round of talks in Istanbul on May 16 yielded the biggest prisoner swap of the war with each side freeing 1000 prisoners, but no sign of peace - or even a ceasefire as both sides merely stated their opening negotiating positions.
Monday's meeting comes after Ukraine and Russia ramped up the war with one of the biggest drone battles of the conflict, a Russian highway bridge blown up over a passenger train and an attack on nuclear-capable bombers deep in Siberia.
At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, neighbouring Ukraine, was blown up over a passenger train heading to Moscow with 388 people on board. No one has claimed responsibility.
Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia on Sunday, a Ukrainian intelligence official said, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4300km away.
Ukraine's domestic intelligence service, the SBU, acknowledged it carried out the attack, codenamed "Operation Spider's Web", planned for more than a year-and-a-half.
The intelligence official said the operation involved hiding explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds and loading them onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the air bases.
A total of 41 Russian warplanes were hit, the official said.
The SBU estimated the damage at $US7 billion ($A11 billion) and said Russia had lost 34 per cent of its strategic cruise missile carriers at its main airfields.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed delight at the "absolutely brilliant outcome," and noted 117 drones had been used in the attack.
"And an outcome produced by Ukraine independently," he wrote.
"This is our longest-range operation."
Russia's Defence Ministry acknowledged that Ukraine launched drone strikes against Russian military airfields across five regions on Sunday.
Air attacks were repelled in all but two regions - Murmansk in the far north and Irkutsk in Siberia - where "the launch of FPV drones from an area in close proximity to airfields resulted in several aircraft catching fire".
Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said, the highest nightly total of the war. Russia also launched seven missiles.
Russia reported new drone attacks, listing 53 attacks intercepted in a period of less than two hours, including 34 over the border Kursk region.
Russia said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and open source pro-Ukrainian maps showed Russia took 450sq/km of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least six months.
with DPA
Russian and Ukrainian officials are holding their second round of direct peace talks since 2022 with no sign they are any closer to an agreement, one day after Kyiv struck some of Moscow's nuclear-capable bombers.
The two sides are expected to discuss their respective ideas for what a full ceasefire and a longer term path to peace should look like amid stark disagreements and pressure from President Donald Trump, who has warned the US could abandon its role as a mediator if there's no progress.
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived at Istanbul's sumptuous Ciragan Palace by the Bosphorus, along with a senior Turkish official.
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Moscow's delegation, said Russia had received Ukraine's draft memorandum for a peace accord ahead of the talks. There was no word on whether Kyiv had received Russia's draft. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov is heading the Ukrainian delegation.
Their last round of talks in Istanbul on May 16 yielded the biggest prisoner swap of the war with each side freeing 1000 prisoners, but no sign of peace - or even a ceasefire as both sides merely stated their opening negotiating positions.
Monday's meeting comes after Ukraine and Russia ramped up the war with one of the biggest drone battles of the conflict, a Russian highway bridge blown up over a passenger train and an attack on nuclear-capable bombers deep in Siberia.
At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, neighbouring Ukraine, was blown up over a passenger train heading to Moscow with 388 people on board. No one has claimed responsibility.
Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia on Sunday, a Ukrainian intelligence official said, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4300km away.
Ukraine's domestic intelligence service, the SBU, acknowledged it carried out the attack, codenamed "Operation Spider's Web", planned for more than a year-and-a-half.
The intelligence official said the operation involved hiding explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds and loading them onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the air bases.
A total of 41 Russian warplanes were hit, the official said.
The SBU estimated the damage at $US7 billion ($A11 billion) and said Russia had lost 34 per cent of its strategic cruise missile carriers at its main airfields.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed delight at the "absolutely brilliant outcome," and noted 117 drones had been used in the attack.
"And an outcome produced by Ukraine independently," he wrote.
"This is our longest-range operation."
Russia's Defence Ministry acknowledged that Ukraine launched drone strikes against Russian military airfields across five regions on Sunday.
Air attacks were repelled in all but two regions - Murmansk in the far north and Irkutsk in Siberia - where "the launch of FPV drones from an area in close proximity to airfields resulted in several aircraft catching fire".
Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said, the highest nightly total of the war. Russia also launched seven missiles.
Russia reported new drone attacks, listing 53 attacks intercepted in a period of less than two hours, including 34 over the border Kursk region.
Russia said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and open source pro-Ukrainian maps showed Russia took 450sq/km of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least six months.
with DPA
Russian and Ukrainian officials are holding their second round of direct peace talks since 2022 with no sign they are any closer to an agreement, one day after Kyiv struck some of Moscow's nuclear-capable bombers.
The two sides are expected to discuss their respective ideas for what a full ceasefire and a longer term path to peace should look like amid stark disagreements and pressure from President Donald Trump, who has warned the US could abandon its role as a mediator if there's no progress.
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived at Istanbul's sumptuous Ciragan Palace by the Bosphorus, along with a senior Turkish official.
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Moscow's delegation, said Russia had received Ukraine's draft memorandum for a peace accord ahead of the talks. There was no word on whether Kyiv had received Russia's draft. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov is heading the Ukrainian delegation.
Their last round of talks in Istanbul on May 16 yielded the biggest prisoner swap of the war with each side freeing 1000 prisoners, but no sign of peace - or even a ceasefire as both sides merely stated their opening negotiating positions.
Monday's meeting comes after Ukraine and Russia ramped up the war with one of the biggest drone battles of the conflict, a Russian highway bridge blown up over a passenger train and an attack on nuclear-capable bombers deep in Siberia.
At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, neighbouring Ukraine, was blown up over a passenger train heading to Moscow with 388 people on board. No one has claimed responsibility.
Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia on Sunday, a Ukrainian intelligence official said, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4300km away.
Ukraine's domestic intelligence service, the SBU, acknowledged it carried out the attack, codenamed "Operation Spider's Web", planned for more than a year-and-a-half.
The intelligence official said the operation involved hiding explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds and loading them onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the air bases.
A total of 41 Russian warplanes were hit, the official said.
The SBU estimated the damage at $US7 billion ($A11 billion) and said Russia had lost 34 per cent of its strategic cruise missile carriers at its main airfields.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed delight at the "absolutely brilliant outcome," and noted 117 drones had been used in the attack.
"And an outcome produced by Ukraine independently," he wrote.
"This is our longest-range operation."
Russia's Defence Ministry acknowledged that Ukraine launched drone strikes against Russian military airfields across five regions on Sunday.
Air attacks were repelled in all but two regions - Murmansk in the far north and Irkutsk in Siberia - where "the launch of FPV drones from an area in close proximity to airfields resulted in several aircraft catching fire".
Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said, the highest nightly total of the war. Russia also launched seven missiles.
Russia reported new drone attacks, listing 53 attacks intercepted in a period of less than two hours, including 34 over the border Kursk region.
Russia said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and open source pro-Ukrainian maps showed Russia took 450sq/km of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least six months.
with DPA
Russian and Ukrainian officials are holding their second round of direct peace talks since 2022 with no sign they are any closer to an agreement, one day after Kyiv struck some of Moscow's nuclear-capable bombers.
The two sides are expected to discuss their respective ideas for what a full ceasefire and a longer term path to peace should look like amid stark disagreements and pressure from President Donald Trump, who has warned the US could abandon its role as a mediator if there's no progress.
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived at Istanbul's sumptuous Ciragan Palace by the Bosphorus, along with a senior Turkish official.
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Moscow's delegation, said Russia had received Ukraine's draft memorandum for a peace accord ahead of the talks. There was no word on whether Kyiv had received Russia's draft. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov is heading the Ukrainian delegation.
Their last round of talks in Istanbul on May 16 yielded the biggest prisoner swap of the war with each side freeing 1000 prisoners, but no sign of peace - or even a ceasefire as both sides merely stated their opening negotiating positions.
Monday's meeting comes after Ukraine and Russia ramped up the war with one of the biggest drone battles of the conflict, a Russian highway bridge blown up over a passenger train and an attack on nuclear-capable bombers deep in Siberia.
At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, neighbouring Ukraine, was blown up over a passenger train heading to Moscow with 388 people on board. No one has claimed responsibility.
Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia on Sunday, a Ukrainian intelligence official said, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4300km away.
Ukraine's domestic intelligence service, the SBU, acknowledged it carried out the attack, codenamed "Operation Spider's Web", planned for more than a year-and-a-half.
The intelligence official said the operation involved hiding explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds and loading them onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the air bases.
A total of 41 Russian warplanes were hit, the official said.
The SBU estimated the damage at $US7 billion ($A11 billion) and said Russia had lost 34 per cent of its strategic cruise missile carriers at its main airfields.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed delight at the "absolutely brilliant outcome," and noted 117 drones had been used in the attack.
"And an outcome produced by Ukraine independently," he wrote.
"This is our longest-range operation."
Russia's Defence Ministry acknowledged that Ukraine launched drone strikes against Russian military airfields across five regions on Sunday.
Air attacks were repelled in all but two regions - Murmansk in the far north and Irkutsk in Siberia - where "the launch of FPV drones from an area in close proximity to airfields resulted in several aircraft catching fire".
Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said, the highest nightly total of the war. Russia also launched seven missiles.
Russia reported new drone attacks, listing 53 attacks intercepted in a period of less than two hours, including 34 over the border Kursk region.
Russia said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and open source pro-Ukrainian maps showed Russia took 450sq/km of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least six months.
with DPA
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Australia seeks 'best deal' after UK tariff carve-out
Australia is hoping to follow in an ally's footsteps after Donald Trump granted a single exemption to his supercharged tariffs. The US president revealed he will double to 50 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports on every trading partner except the UK, which will remain subject to the original 25 per cent rate after striking a deal with his administration. As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepares to hold a potential in-person meeting with Mr Trump, the announcement offers a glimmer of hope. But Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Australia could not take any outcomes for granted. "We've made it very clear what we think about those tariffs," he told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday. "We will continue to engage, as the friends in the UK have - and most countries have - trying to get the best deal that we can for our people and for our industries." Mr Albanese has repeatedly called the US tariffs "an act of economic self-harm" and may try negotiate an exemption on the sidelines of the G7 conference or in the US during a June trip to North America. His trade minister Don Farrell has already begun making inroads with the US administration, meeting with his American counterpart Jamieson Greer in Paris. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the coalition was ready to work with Labor to ensure Australia could also secure a tariff carve out. "President Trump's tariffs on our steelmakers are not in the spirit of our century-old partnership and we urge the Americans to give Australia a fair go and remove them," Ms Ley said. "The coalition wants the government to succeed here because that is in our national interest." The statement represents a clear departure from the rhetoric of previous opposition leader Peter Dutton, who claimed a coalition government would be able to lock in a tariff exemption even though no country at the time had managed to do so. Mr Trump's 50 per cent steel and aluminium tariff has come into effect as Australia grapples with the 10 per cent baseline "Liberation Day" levies announced in April. The prime minister has already had three "really constructive" discussions with Mr Trump and said Australia wanted to support free trade between the two countries.
Herald Sun
an hour ago
- Herald Sun
US steel, aluminum tariff hikes to take effect Wednesday: W.House
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. The United States will double its tariffs on imported steel and aluminum starting Wednesday, according to the White House, as it published an order signed by President Donald Trump. The move marks a latest salvo in Trump's trade wars, bringing levies on both metals from 25 percent to 50 percent. But tariffs on metal imports from the UK will remain at the 25 percent rate, while both sides work out duties and quotas in line with the terms of their earlier trade pact. Overall, the aim is to "more effectively counter foreign countries that continue to offload low-priced, excess steel and aluminum in the United States," according to the order, which added that these undercut the competitiveness of US industries. "Increasing the previously imposed tariffs will provide greater support to these industries and reduce or eliminate the national security threat posed by imports of steel and aluminum articles and their derivative articles," the order added. Trump announced his decision to hike tariffs on steel and aluminum when he addressed workers at a US Steel plant in Pennsylvania last week. "Nobody is going to be able to steal your industry," he said at the time. "At 25 percent, they can sort of get over that fence. At 50 percent, they can no longer get over the fence," he added. The move, however, fans tensions with key US trading partners. The European Union warned over the weekend that it was prepared to retaliate against levies. It said that the sudden announcement "undermines ongoing efforts to reach a negotiated solution" between the bloc and the United States. Already, Washington is in talks with various countries after Trump imposed sweeping 10 percent tariffs on almost all partners in April and announced even higher rates for dozens of economies. While the steeper levels have been paused during ongoing negotiations, this halt expires in early July -- adding to urgency to reach trade deals. Since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on allies and adversaries alike in moves that have shaken financial markets. He has also imposed tariffs on sector-specific imports like autos, apart from targeting steel and aluminum. Mexico will request an exemption from the higher tariff, Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said, arguing that it is unfair because the United States exports more steel to Mexico than it imports. "It makes no sense to put a tariff on a product in which you have a surplus," Ebrard said. Mexico is highly vulnerable to Trump's trade wars because 80 percent of its exports go to the United States, its main trading partner. bys/dw/sla Originally published as US steel, aluminum tariff hikes to take effect Wednesday:
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Australia seeks 'best deal' after UK tariff carve-out
Australia is hoping to follow in an ally's footsteps after Donald Trump granted a single exemption to his supercharged tariffs. The US president revealed he will double to 50 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports on every trading partner except the UK, which will remain subject to the original 25 per cent rate after striking a deal with his administration. As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepares to hold a potential in-person meeting with Mr Trump, the announcement offers a glimmer of hope. But Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Australia could not take any outcomes for granted. "We've made it very clear what we think about those tariffs," he told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday. "We will continue to engage, as the friends in the UK have - and most countries have - trying to get the best deal that we can for our people and for our industries." Mr Albanese has repeatedly called the US tariffs "an act of economic self-harm" and may try negotiate an exemption on the sidelines of the G7 conference or in the US during a June trip to North America. His trade minister Don Farrell has already begun making inroads with the US administration, meeting with his American counterpart Jamieson Greer in Paris. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the coalition was ready to work with Labor to ensure Australia could also secure a tariff carve out. "President Trump's tariffs on our steelmakers are not in the spirit of our century-old partnership and we urge the Americans to give Australia a fair go and remove them," Ms Ley said. "The coalition wants the government to succeed here because that is in our national interest." The statement represents a clear departure from the rhetoric of previous opposition leader Peter Dutton, who claimed a coalition government would be able to lock in a tariff exemption even though no country at the time had managed to do so. Mr Trump's 50 per cent steel and aluminium tariff has come into effect as Australia grapples with the 10 per cent baseline "Liberation Day" levies announced in April. The prime minister has already had three "really constructive" discussions with Mr Trump and said Australia wanted to support free trade between the two countries.
