Zelenskyy Announces Ukraine Will Send Delegation to Istanbul for Russia Talks This Monday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that Ukraine will dispatch a delegation to Istanbul for a new round of direct peace talks with Russia, scheduled to begin on Monday. In his message, Zelenskyy specified that Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead the team tasked with representing Ukraine's interests at the negotiating table.

“We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state and our people,” Zelenskyy emphasized in his statement, highlighting the significance of the upcoming discussions as the conflict continues to take a heavy toll on the country.

The announcement comes amid a period of intense violence on the battlefield. On Sunday, at least 12 Ukrainian service members were killed and more than 60 were injured after a Russian missile strike hit a Ukrainian army training unit. The strike occurred at 12:50 p.m. local time, according to the Ukrainian Ground Forces, and took place at a location well behind the 1,000-kilometer active front line.

The Ukrainian military said there had been no mass gatherings of personnel at the facility at the time of the strike, and an investigative commission has been established to determine the circumstances that led to such a substantial loss. “If it is established that the actions or inaction of officials led to the death or injury of servicemen, those responsible will be held strictly accountable,” the military vowed.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s armed forces continue to operate under severe manpower constraints, adopting extra precautions to avoid large groupings as Russian reconnaissance and attack drones maintain persistent surveillance across frontline and rear positions.

On the other side of the border, Ukrainian drone strikes reached deeper into Russian territory than ever before. A drone was detected in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, more than 4,500 kilometers east of Moscow—a first in this area, according to local authorities. While the regional governor assured the public that there was no threat to civilians, additional drone incidents were reported in Russia’s Ryazan and Arctic Murmansk regions. No injuries were reported in these cases.

Tensions are also rising along Ukraine's northern borders. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed control over the village of Oleksiivka in the Sumy region as its forces made steady progress in the north. In response, Ukrainian officials ordered mandatory evacuations in eleven more settlements in Sumy over the weekend. Ukraine's top military official, Oleksandr Syrskyi, noted that Russian troops were focusing their offensive efforts not only on the Sumy area but also on Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Lyman in Donetsk.

Uncertainty surrounds the upcoming Istanbul talks, as Ukrainian officials have pressed Moscow to provide a promised memorandum outlining its position on ending the war prior to negotiations. Although Russia has indicated it will share the document during the meeting, Zelenskyy has called for greater transparency. “At this point, we don’t have any clear information about what the Russians are planning to do in Istanbul,” he said Saturday evening. He urged Russia to stop “playing with diplomacy” by withholding its terms and reiterated that a genuine ceasefire and real peace remain the ultimate objectives shared by the international community.

As both sides prepare for high-stakes talks, the situation on the ground remains volatile, underscoring the urgent need for a diplomatic breakthrough to end over three years of conflict.