Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the war seem unlikely to bear fruit. Both sides presented their conditions for peace on Monday in Istanbul, conditions that the other side finds unacceptable. Meanwhile, drone and missile attacks continue to be the daily norm. This morning, Russian drone attacks resulted in the death of one person in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, two in Sumy, and injuries to several others in the northern city of Chernihiv.
In Turkey, Moscow stated on Monday that they would only accept an end to the war if Kiev cedes large swathes of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army, conditions that Ukraine has repeatedly rejected as equivalent to surrender.
Additionally, the surgical strike by Ukraine on Russian territory, where Kiev claims to have destroyed 41 aircraft, mainly long-range strategic bombers Tu-95 and Tu-22, Soviet-era planes used to launch cruise missiles against Ukraine, remains fresh in memory.
Medvedev States Russia Seeks Victory, Not Agreement in Istanbul Talks
Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev declared on Tuesday that the goal of peace talks with Ukraine was to ensure a quick and complete Russian victory, as reported by Reuters.
"The Istanbul talks are not aimed at achieving a compromise peace on the delirious terms of another, but at ensuring our rapid victory and the complete destruction of the neo-Nazi regime," he stated on Telegram.
Nighttime Drone Attacks on Russia Reduced
Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down eight Ukrainian drones last night, compared to over a hundred the previous day, as reported today by the Russian Ministry of Defense, according to Efe.
The enemy drones were destroyed in the border regions of Belgorod and Kursk, as well as over the Sea of Azov and the annexed Crimean peninsula.
On Monday, Russian military had reported neutralizing 162 drones during the night preceding the negotiations between Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul.
Russia Attacks Ukrainian Territory with 112 Drones of Various Types
Last night, Russia launched a total of 112 drones against Ukrainian territory, including Shahed attack drones and replicas used by Russian forces to confuse enemy defenses, as reported by the Ukrainian Air Force on Tuesday, according to Efe.
The main targets of the attack were the Ukrainian regions of Chernihiv (north), Kharkiv and Sumy (northeast), Poltava (center), Odesa (south), and Donetsk (east).
Ukrainian defenses managed to neutralize 75 Shahed drones over various regions in the east, south, and north of Ukraine, with impacts reported in 11 unspecified locations.
Ukrainian President's Chief of Staff and First Deputy Prime Minister Travel to the US
Ukrainian President's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak and Yulia Svyrydenko are traveling to the United States on a State visit, as reported by a Ukrainian source on Tuesday.
The Chief of Staff and the First Deputy Prime Minister will visit Washington D.C. during the trip, according to the source cited by Reuters.
Russia and Ukraine Agree to Exchange Young and Injured Prisoners
Russia and Ukraine agreed on Monday to exchange prisoners of war under 25 years old and the wounded, as well as the delivery of thousands of soldiers' bodies, during the talks in Istanbul, which ended without a ceasefire, as reported by Afp.
More than three years after the Russian invasion, both countries held the second round of direct negotiations, following Ukraine's claim of a "large-scale" attack on Russian soil reaching Siberia.
In the evening, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his willingness to host a summit "in Ankara or Istanbul" between the presidents of the United States, Ukraine, and Russia to achieve a ceasefire.
No US representatives participated in Monday's talks, stated a State Department spokesperson, although US President Donald Trump expressed being "open" to traveling to Turkey, according to his spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt.