Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Turkey on Monday for a second round of direct peace talks, though expectations remained very low following a bloody weekend marked by intense attacks.

The meeting took place at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan opened the session, reports the Associated Press. The Ukrainian side was led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, while Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, led the Russian delegation, according to Russian state media.

Fighting on the ground has continued to escalate. On Sunday, Ukraine claimed responsibility for a surprise drone assault on four Russian airbases, including sites in the Arctic, Siberia, and the Far East.

Ukrainian security chief Vasyl Maliuk said the mission took over a year to plan and was “a major slap in the face for Russia’s military power.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised it as a “brilliant operation.”

That same day, Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine—the highest number recorded since the war began in February 2022. The Ukrainian air force said 52 out of 80 Russian drones launched overnight were intercepted.

As the two sides talked, casualties mounted. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian shelling killed three people in the southern Kherson region and injured 19 others, including two children. In the Zaporizhzhia region, a missile strike and shelling killed five and wounded nine.

Despite international efforts to secure a ceasefire, no breakthrough has been reached. The first meeting between the two sides, held on May 16 in Istanbul, led to a large prisoner swap but no major progress.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, “Russia is attempting to delay negotiations and prolong the war in order to make additional battlefield gains.”

President Donald Trump, who has pushed for a swift end to the conflict, expressed frustration last week. Referring to recent Russian attacks, he posted on social media that Putin “has gone absolutely CRAZY!”

Zelensky, speaking Monday at a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, with Nordic and NATO-aligned leaders, said the ongoing military pressure will force Russia to engage in meaningful talks. “Russia must feel what its losses mean. That is what will push it toward diplomacy,” he said.

He added that if the talks in Istanbul fail to produce results, “strong new sanctions are urgently, urgently needed” against Russia.

Russia's official reaction to Ukraine’s drone strike on its airbases was minimal. State television gave it only brief coverage, focusing instead on Russia's drone campaign against Ukraine.

Russian air defenses reported downing 162 Ukrainian drones across eight regions and over Crimea. Ukraine confirmed its drones were launched from within Russia, allowing little time for Russian defenses to respond.