Kremlin Rejects Trilateral Summit as Istanbul Peace Talks Stall

Russian and Ukrainian delegations failed to establish a path to peace during a second round of talks at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul. The sessions remained strained following Ukrainian drone strikes in Siberia and the Arctic that destroyed between 12 and 41 Russian strategic bombers. Ukraine refused to drop demands for NATO membership, reparations, and an international peacekeeping force, while Vladimir Putin demanded permanent Ukrainian neutrality, the lifting of all sanctions, and full withdrawal from four occupied regions.

Amid the deadlock, U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Thomas Barrack stated that President Donald Trump is "at the end of his rope" regarding the conflict. While White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt indicated that Trump has not ruled out a high-level meeting between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the prospect of a trilateral summit as unlikely in the near future. Peskov maintained that any leader-level meeting must be the culmination of technical agreements rather than a substitute for them.

Despite the diplomatic friction, Moscow and Kyiv agreed to a reciprocal exchange of 6,000 deceased Ukrainian soldiers as a goodwill gesture. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak is traveling to Washington to seek renewed military support and sanctions, arguing that recent asymmetric strikes provide Ukraine with continued leverage.