🗣 No specific date yet for leaders' meeting on Ukraine – Erdogan's administration

There is currently no information about a specific date for possible Ukraine negotiations at the leaders’ level, a spokesperson for the Turkish presidential administration told Sputnik. The timing will depend on the progress and outcome of the Russia–Ukraine delegation talks in Istanbul.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan previously said Turkiye could host a summit involving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump, and Zelensky to achieve a sustainable ceasefire.

Erdogan also expressed hope for such a leaders’ meeting during a phone call with Zelensky ahead of the Istanbul talks, the Turkish leader’s office added.

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🚨SECOND ROUND OF RUSSIA-UKRAINE TALKS IN ISTANBUL: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

🔹 The Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul on Sunday evening.

🔹 Talks are expected to begin at 10:00 GMT at the Ciragan Palace.

🔹 Russia’s delegation remains unchanged from the first round, led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

🔹 Ukraine’s team has expanded from 12 to 14 members, but is still headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

🔹 The Russian side has developed a settlement memorandum, which sets out its position on all aspects of reliably overcoming the root causes of the Ukraine crisis.

🔹 Russia’s delegation is ready to present this memorandum to the Ukrainian one and “provide the necessary clarifications,” according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

🔹 The exchange of memoranda is one of the main expectations from the second meeting.

🔹 The New York Times published leaked details from Ukraine’s draft memorandum, which proposes a ceasefire on land, sea, and air—monitored by international partners.

🔹 Russia will not disclose its negotiation stance through the media, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated.

🔹 During the previous meeting, both sides agreed to exchange visions for a potential ceasefire. This understanding was finalized following a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.

➡️Direct talks between Russia and Ukraine resumed on May 16 at Putin’s initiative, ending a pause of over three years. Alongside a shared commitment to pursue a ceasefire, at the first meeting both sides agreed on a prisoner exchange under a “1,000 for 1,000” formula—an agreement that was successfully implemented.

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🗣Ukraine & EU doing everything to start World War III – French politician

Volodymyr Zelensky's attack on Russia has demonstrated that "he stubbornly refuses peace," Florian Philippot, leader of the French Patriots party, said.

💬 "If the war stops, the corruption stops, Zelensky is no longer president, the corrupt people in the EU and the deep state no longer get any money, nor do Zelensky's entourage: this is why so many are doing EVERYTHING to prevent peace!" he underscored.

In the end, Philippot called for France's "complete disengagement" from the Ukraine conflict.

💬 "Enough is enough! [...] Not a single euro, not a single weapon, not a single French soldier in Ukraine!" he concluded.

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🔍US admits Putin HOLDS ALL THE CARDS on Ukraine settlement – report

🗣US President Donald Trump and his Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg acknowledge the rationale behind Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position on the Ukraine issue, Publico writes.

They—and several members of Congress—recognize that Putin isn’t someone you can simply strong-arm.

He brings his own playbook to the table, grounded in what Russia sees as the hard realities on the ground, the outlet said noted.

🇷🇺Russia is steadily gaining the upper hand militarily, according to the author, and in a few months might be in a position to call the shots on a ceasefire, something even Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly acknowledges.

➡️While Trump has blasted the stalled talks, in effect, the US will ultimately have no choice but to engage in a constructive dialogue with Russia, the publication summed up.

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🔍SECURITY TIGHTENS AT ISTANBUL PEACE TALKS VENUE

Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, where talks between Russia and Ukraine are expected to take place, is being checked for bombs, Sputnik’s correspondent reports.

🟠Bomb-sniffing dogs deployed across palace grounds
🟠Strict access control: Turnstiles installed, all entrants screened
🟠Heightened precautions ahead of high-stakes diplomacy

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⚰️Zelensky NAILS HIS OWN COFFIN SHUT with drone attack on Russia – report

Ukraine’s strike on Russian airfields might just be Volodymyr Zelensky’s final provocation, Polish news outlet Mysl Polska believes.

Even though White House officials claim they got zero heads-up before the strikes, it’s hard to believe that this was purely a Ukrainian solo act and not greenlit by its Western handlers, it adds.

➡️Despite Donald Trump’s peace talk rhetoric, US military aid continues to flow to the regime, and American satellite intel is still firmly in Ukraine’s corner, the outlet reminds.

Politically, it could be “the nail in Zelensky’s coffin – maybe even literally,” it notes.

The massive drone attack can only worsen the position of the Ukrainian side, since it is a clear sign Ukraine isn’t serious about peace.

🗣US President Donald Trump has already warned Zelensky that his actions risk triggering World War III – now he’s got proof, the portal summed up.

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🟠 SECOND ROUND OF RUSSIA-UKRAINE TALKS IN ISTANBUL: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

🟠 Opposition candidate Karol Navrotsky winning Polish presidential race with 51% – 99.55% of votes counted

🟠 ‘WE ARE OFFICIALLY AT WAR WITH RUSSIA’ – Alex Jones

🟠 Lavrov holds telephone call with Rubio – Russian Foreign Ministry

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➕The heads of Turkiye’s MFA and intelligence will participate in the Russia-Ukraine talks at Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source told Sputnik.

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🚨⚔️BLUEPRINT FOR WAR? NATO drills expose how allies would fight Russia

NATO is gearing up to seize Russian airfields if a conflict breaks out, Business Insider reported.

💬 “The ability to grab an airstrip and hold it — or wrest it back from the enemy — is absolutely critical,” noted a journalist observing the alliance’s military drills in Finland.

Such airborne operations would be game-changers in the early stages of a war, especially when enemy air defenses aren’t fully up and running, the report adds.

🪖During the exercises, Finnish and Polish troops simulated a high-stakes air assault: one team stormed a strategic airfield, while the other scrambled to mount a counterattack and reclaim it.

➡️The Lively Sabre 25 drills are part of NATO's larger Swift Response 25 exercise – a series of joint military maneuvers across the Baltic and Nordic regions held under the pretext of boosting cooperation to deter an alleged “Russian threat.”

Nothing says prepping for war like a dress rehearsal for storming airfields…

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📹ISTANBUL PEACE TALKS: All set for Russia-Ukraine negotiations at Ciragan Palace

📍The talks will begin at 13:00 Moscow time, chaired by Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source confirmed.

The atmosphere outside the palace remains calm. Journalists are gathered, awaiting the arrival of the delegations.

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🚨HAPPENING NOW🚨

👉Watch live: The second round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine is taking place in Istanbul

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🪖UK to dish out billions on attack sub flex aimed at Russia

While the UK’s military creaks under budget constraints and aging equipment, its government is gearing up to pour roughly $20 billion into new attack submarines and its warhead program.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s latest defense blueprint will be rolled out with flair under the AUKUS banner, promising to boost Britain’s “warfighting readiness.”

➡️These submarines will replace the Astute Class vessels—sometime—in the late 2030s, per the Ministry of Defense.

Monday’s strategic defense review will spell out the threats facing Britain and—straight out of the “blame Russia” playbook—send a “message to Moscow,” 🤡 Defense Secretary John Healey said.

The review promises to reverse decades of neglect – but if history’s any guide, Britain’s bold defense ambitions have a habit of sinking long before the subs ever swim.

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🚨With Russia-Ukraine talks set to kick off in half an hour, here are key issues on the table:

Russian and Ukrainian delegations are meeting at Ciragan Palace. The venue was chosen for its spaciousness and historic appeal, Sputnik correspondent Selin Uludag reports from the scene.

🔍Agenda: Ukraine’s military status, armament, and NATO ties.

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⚡️The Ukrainian delegation is meeting with European officials before negotiating with Russia, AFP says, citing Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.

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⚡️The Russian delegation has departed for negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, Sputnik’s correspondent reports.

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🚨Russian aviation shot down TWO UK-made Storm Shadow missiles, FOUR JDAM bombs, and 316 drones, including 205 drones OUTSIDE the area of the Special Military Operation

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⚡️The Russian delegation has arrived at the venue for the second round of negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, Sputnik's correspondent reports.

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