Ukraine performed a coordinated strike on several Russian airfields Sunday as peace talks with Russia in Istanbul were set to be held on Monday.
The attack, which was supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and planned for over a year, destroyed more than 40 Russian planes. The damage caused around $2 billion in damage to aircraft such as the A-50, Tu-22 M3, and Tu-95. The A-50 is an airborne radar craft, while the Tu-22 M3 and Tu-95 are bombers, the latter of which comprises one part of Russia’s nuclear triad.
A Ukrainian official told Axios that the Trump administration wasn’t notified in advance of the massive drone strike on Russian bases, which comes after Russia hit Ukraine with a missile strike that killed 12 soldiers and launched the biggest drone assault of the three-year war.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead the Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul in the wake of the weekend skirmishes. “We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state, and our people,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky had accused Moscow of “doing everything it can to ensure the next possible meeting is fruitless.”
“For a meeting to be meaningful, its agenda must be clear, and the negotiations must be properly prepared,” he said. Ukraine sent its proposals to Russia, reaffirming “readiness for a full and unconditional ceasefire.”
The Ukrainian president set out his positions on Sunday morning ahead of Ukraine’s peace meeting in Istanbul. Zelensky said he wants “a full and unconditional ceasefire,” Ukraine’s prisoners to be released by Russia, and the return of thousands of abducted children whom Russia has sought to reeducate against Ukraine.
Turkish officials believe progress could be made at the meeting. “We are convinced that progress can certainly be made as long as we remain at the negotiating table,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday.
TRUMP VICTORY RAISES QUESTIONS OVER FUTURE OF UKRAINE MILITARY AID
President Donald Trump has given Russia two weeks to engage in good-faith negotiations.
“We’ll find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently, but it will take about a week and a half to two weeks,” he told reporters Wednesday. “They seem to want to do something, but until the document is signed, I can’t tell you. Nobody can.”