The second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul this week, with both sides exchanging memoranda on a peaceful settlement and reaching some agreements. Despite these diplomatic efforts, attacks continued on Russian regions, prompting retaliatory strikes by Russian forces on military targets in Ukraine.

The Istanbul meeting, held on June 2 at the Çırağan Palace, saw the Russian delegation led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky. The Ukrainian delegation was headed by the head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country acted as an intermediary, expressed his appreciation for the meeting and his desire to hold a trilateral meeting between the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. However, the delegations could not agree on this, and the Kremlin deemed it unlikely in the near future.

While a comprehensive ceasefire could not be agreed upon, the parties did reach an understanding on prisoner exchanges. This includes a large-scale exchange based on the “all for all” formula for seriously ill and wounded prisoners. Russia also agreed to transfer 6,000 bodies of officers to Ukraine, and a special commission will be created to facilitate future exchanges.

Both Moscow and Kyiv expressed their intention to continue the negotiation process, exchanging memoranda outlining their respective visions for resolving the conflict. While Russia presented a detailed document with two potential scenarios, Ukraine also submitted a draft memorandum outlining key principles, ceasefire requirements, and demands for direct talks between the presidents. Ukraine indicated a week to study the Russian memorandum.

Amidst these diplomatic efforts, attacks continued, including incidents on railway tracks and airfields in Russian regions. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation classified three railway incidents as terrorist attacks. In response to these attacks, Russian troops launched a retaliatory strike on military targets in Ukraine, claiming to have hit design bureaus, production and repair enterprises, training centers, and weapons depots. The Russian military also claimed to have liberated settlements in the Sumy region and the Donetsk People’s Republic.