5 d. ago Russia and Ukraine agree to exchange bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers during crunch talks, as Moscow accuses Kyiv of 'putting on a show for European old ladies' by demanding return of 'stolen' children

Under the terms of the agreement, some 6,000 bodies of fighters from each side killed in action will be handed over for burial along with at least 1,000 prisoners of war on each side

Events

5 d. ago Ukraine and Russia agree to new prisoner exchange in Istanbul

Talks follow Kyiv’s daring assault on Moscow’s airfields and come despite gulf between two sides’ positions

Events

5 d. ago Russia launches deadly attacks across Ukraine before second round of talks with Kyiv – Russia

Russian shelling and air attacks kill five near Zaporizhzhia before second round of peace talks in IstanbulRuth Michaelson is reporting from Istanbul and will be providing updates on the talks. Here is some colour from outside Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace:A fleet of black sedans arrived outside the Çırağan Palace in Istanbul, signalling the arrival of some of the negotiations teams. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago Russia launches deadly attacks across Ukraine before Istanbul talks with Kyiv – Russia

Russian shelling and air attacks kill five near Zaporizhzhia before second round of peace talks in IstanbulUkraine and Russia both launched large-scale drone barrages overnight.The Russian defence ministry said its air defence units had “intercepted and destroyed” 162 Ukrainian drones. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago Ukraine delegation arrives in Istanbul for talks with Russian officials following drone attack in Siberia – Russia

Second round of peace talks follows Kyiv drone attack on Russian air bases A Ukrainian delegation has arrived in Istanbul for talks with Russian officials with a meeting planned for Monday afternoon, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry said.The two sides are set to hold their second round of direct peace talks since 2022, but are still far apart on how to end the war amid an increase in fighting.Ukraine said on Sunday it had destroyed Russian bombers worth billions of dollars as far away as Siberia, in its longest-range assault of the war. In a spectacular claim, Ukraine said it had damaged $7bn worth of Russian aircraft parked at four airbases thousands of kilometres (miles) away, with unverified video footage showing aircraft engulfed in flames and black smoke. A source in the Ukrainian security services (SBU) said the strikes hit 41 planes that were used to “bomb Ukrainian villages”.Several Russian and Ukrainian media outlets reported that Ukraine had carried out the ...

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6 d. ago Dozens of Russian warplanes destroyed in Ukrainian drone attack, claims Kyiv

Putin will be ‘infuriated’ by the attack, a Russia expert said, which comes a day before Moscow and Kyiv sit down in Istanbul for direct peace talks

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8 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy accuses Moscow of doing ‘everything it can’ to sabotage peace talks

President hasn’t committed to Ukraine attending Monday’s meeting with Russia in Istanbul, saying Moscow first has to provide its proposals. What we know on day 1,193See all our Ukraine war coverageUkraine has said it does not expect any results from talks with Russia in Turkey, unless Moscow provides its peace terms in advance, accusing the Kremlin of doing “everything” it can to sabotage the potential meeting. Moscow said it was sending a team of negotiators to Istanbul for a second round of talks on Monday but Kyiv has yet to confirm if it will attend. “For over a week now, the Russians have been unable to present the so-called memorandum,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X on Friday, referring to a document Russia says it has prepared outlining its conditions for peace. “For a meeting to be meaningful, its agenda must be clear, and the negotiations must be properly prepared,” the Ukrainian president added. “Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to ensure that the next pote...

Events

9 d. ago Russia and Ukraine in spat over proposed June peace talks after Trump pushes deadline on Putin

The Kremlin said Kyiv’s calls for Russia to release its ceasefire memorandum before talks in June were ‘non-constructive’

Politics

2 w. ago ‘We will pay a huge price’: Ukraine fears war could drag on for years

Kyiv officials believe Moscow is not interested in peace despite talks in Istanbul and Trump’s interventionUkrainian officials believe a largely stalemated war of attrition with Russia is likely to continue for several more years, despite international efforts pushed by Donald Trump to end the fighting.After the inconclusive breakup of the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul on Friday, and despite the US president’s planned calls with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they see no evidence that Moscow is serious about peace. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Russia fires 273 drones at Ukraine in largest attack since start of war

One killed in Kyiv region in air offensive that follows first direct peace talks between the two sidesThe largest known Russian drone attack since full-scale war began in 2022 killed a woman in the Kyiv region and wounded at least three people, Ukrainian authorities said early on Sunday.The attack comes two days after Ukraine and Russia held their first direct talks since 2022 and a day ahead of a planned phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Ukraine reports largest drone attack from Russia since war began

One person was killed in the Kyiv region, in an attack that came after peace talks between the two sides on FridayThe largest known Russian drone attack since full-scale war began in 2022 killed a woman in the Kyiv region and injured at least three people, Ukrainian authorities said early on Sunday, as Moscow stepped up strikes after peace talks on Friday.Russia launched 273 drones by 8am local time, targeting chiefly the central Kyiv region and the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions in the country’s east, Ukraine’s air force said. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Russian strike on civilian bus in northern Ukraine kills nine

The attack on the northern Sumy region comes hours after Kyiv and Moscow concluded talks in IstanbulNine people were killed in a Russian drone attack on a minibus carrying civilians in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region on Saturday, the local military administration said, hours after Kyiv and Moscow held their first direct peace talks since 2022.The bus, which was attacked near the city of Bilopillya while travelling towards Sumy, was “targeted by the Russians”, the military administration said. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Mapped: Frontline in Ukraine as Kyiv and Moscow set to begin first direct talks since 2022

Russia has rejected Ukraine’s repeated offer of a comprehensive, unconditional 30-day ceasefire which Mr Zelensky says would allow for proper peace negotiations to take place

Politics

3 w. ago Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy says Russia not serious about talks but he will send a team to Istanbul

Trump adds to doubts over progress in Turkey after Putin fails to attendWhat we know on day 1,177 of the invasionPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to meet Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday and after that will make a decision on talks with Russia in Istanbul, a Ukrainian official has told Reuters.The Ukrainian president had previously proposed a face-to-face meeting in Turkey between himself and his Russian counterpart. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Mapped: State of play in Ukraine as Kyiv and Moscow set to begin first direct talks since 2022

Russia has rejected Ukraine’s repeated offer of a comprehensive, unconditional 30-day ceasefire which Mr Zelensky says would allow for proper peace negotiations to take place

Politics

3 w. ago Ukrainians tell Putin ‘we don’t trust you’ ahead of Russia peace talks

Ukrainian residents have voiced scepticism at Vladimir Putin’s proposed direct peace talks with Kyiv.

Politics

3 w. ago Putin savages Ukraine with drone attack hours after announcing Istanbul 'peace talks' that Trump called a 'potentially great day'

The Kremlin dictator appeared to seek to set a trap for Volodymyr Zelensky as he unleashed Shahed kamikaze planes at Ukraine's capital city and other regions.

Politics

3 w. ago Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy welcomes Putin calls for talks but says Russia must agree to ‘full, lasting, reliable’ ceasefire

In late-night address in Moscow, Russian president dismissed calls by European leaders for 30-day ceasefire to start on MondayVladimir Putin’s proposal for “direct talks” with Kyiv came hours after leaders from the UK, France, Germany and Poland travelled to Kyiv to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy.As my colleague Shaun Walker notes in this story, the European leaders told the Russian president to sign up to an unconditional ceasefire by Monday or face increased sanctions and weapons transfers to Ukraine.It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war.The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire. There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Leaders make ‘material progress’ towards Ukraine peace, says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer had travelled to Kyiv alongside his French, German and Polish counterparts for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Politics

4 w. ago Putin plotting huge air attack on Kyiv ‘at any time’, US warns as officials meet in Ukraine

US intelligence officials have sounded the warning over Putin's plans for a 'significant' air assault on Ukraine - just as world leaders including Keir Starmer gather for crucial talks in Kyiv

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