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Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025
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Ukraine to Engage in Peace Talks with Russia Amid Escalating Attacks
President Zelenskyy confirms participation in negotiations despite recent missile strikes and drone assaults.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that Ukraine will participate in upcoming peace talks with Russia in Istanbul scheduled for Monday.
The announcement comes on the heels of a significant escalation in hostilities, as Russia conducted a missile strike that resulted in the deaths of 12 Ukrainian soldiers and unleashed the largest drone assault since the start of the full-scale war three years ago.
In a statement posted on Telegram, President Zelenskyy revealed that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead the Ukrainian delegation at the talks.
He emphasized, "We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state and our people."
Ukrainian officials have previously urged the Kremlin to provide a promised memorandum outlining its stance on ending the conflict prior to the meeting.
Moscow indicated it would disclose this memorandum during the talks.
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched a total of 472 drones in Sunday’s assault, marking it as the largest drone offensive since the invasion began.
In addition to the drone strikes, Russian forces also fired seven missiles at Ukrainian targets.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian army confirmed that at least 12 service members were killed and over 60 others injured in a missile strike on an army training unit, which occurred at 12:50 PM local time.
The Ukrainian military highlighted that no mass gatherings of personnel had been taking place at that time.
An investigative commission has been established to determine the circumstances leading to the significant loss of life in this incident.
The training unit is situated behind the 620-mile active front line, where Russian reconnaissance and strike drones are able to target Ukrainian positions.
Ukraine's forces have been experiencing manpower shortages and have adopted additional precautions to avoid large gatherings in response to increased threats from Russian drones actively searching for targets.
In light of the recent tragedy, a statement from the Ukrainian Ground Forces noted, "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."
In a concurrent development, Ukrainian drone strikes were reported deep within Russian territory, including in the Siberian region of Irkutsk, situated over 2,800 miles east of Moscow.
This marked the first confirmed sighting of a Ukrainian drone in that region, as stated by Governor Igor Kobzeva, who added that the incident posed no threat to civilians.
Other drone strikes were outlined in Russia's Ryazan and Murmansk regions, although no casualties were reported from those incidents.
The announcement comes on the heels of a significant escalation in hostilities, as Russia conducted a missile strike that resulted in the deaths of 12 Ukrainian soldiers and unleashed the largest drone assault since the start of the full-scale war three years ago.
In a statement posted on Telegram, President Zelenskyy revealed that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead the Ukrainian delegation at the talks.
He emphasized, "We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state and our people."
Ukrainian officials have previously urged the Kremlin to provide a promised memorandum outlining its stance on ending the conflict prior to the meeting.
Moscow indicated it would disclose this memorandum during the talks.
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched a total of 472 drones in Sunday’s assault, marking it as the largest drone offensive since the invasion began.
In addition to the drone strikes, Russian forces also fired seven missiles at Ukrainian targets.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian army confirmed that at least 12 service members were killed and over 60 others injured in a missile strike on an army training unit, which occurred at 12:50 PM local time.
The Ukrainian military highlighted that no mass gatherings of personnel had been taking place at that time.
An investigative commission has been established to determine the circumstances leading to the significant loss of life in this incident.
The training unit is situated behind the 620-mile active front line, where Russian reconnaissance and strike drones are able to target Ukrainian positions.
Ukraine's forces have been experiencing manpower shortages and have adopted additional precautions to avoid large gatherings in response to increased threats from Russian drones actively searching for targets.
In light of the recent tragedy, a statement from the Ukrainian Ground Forces noted, "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."
In a concurrent development, Ukrainian drone strikes were reported deep within Russian territory, including in the Siberian region of Irkutsk, situated over 2,800 miles east of Moscow.
This marked the first confirmed sighting of a Ukrainian drone in that region, as stated by Governor Igor Kobzeva, who added that the incident posed no threat to civilians.
Other drone strikes were outlined in Russia's Ryazan and Murmansk regions, although no casualties were reported from those incidents.
