Full Ceasefire Possible Only If Ukraine Pulls Back Troops, Holds Elections: Moscow

Update(1319ET): The Russian and Ukrainian delegations didn’t have a whole lot to talk about in Monday’s Istanbul meeting, apparently, given it only lasted for about an hour – but they did reach agreement for another major prisoner swap.

Bloomberg and international outlets report that the warring sides agreed to a second swap involving 1,000 POWs – which to include sick and heavily wounded prisoners, as well as young soldiers under 25-years of age. There was also an agreement for the exchange of 6,000 bodies of fallen soldiers. As part of this, Russia proposed a two to three day ceasefire for the evacuation of the war dead, to which the Ukrainian delegation responded by demanding an unconditional truce – which has remained a non-starter for Moscow.

Further, per Bloomberg, „The Russian delegation handed over peace proposals that include Kyiv surrendering control of territory it still holds in four partially occupied regions, a Ukrainian official said.” The Russian side has made clear that the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the annexed territories is central to establishing a lasting ceasefire.

Russia’s RT has said it has gotten hold of Russia’s newest and full outline for permanent settlement. The state-funded outlet has summarized in the following points:

• Crimea, Donbass, Kherson, Zaporozhye internationally recognized as Russian
• Ukraine doesn’t join NATO or any military bloc
• Ukraine holds ELECTIONS
• Withdraws troops from new Russian regions
• BANS Nazi propaganda

Below is what Russian sources are circulating, identifying the full list of Russia’s peace proposals as handed over to the Ukrainian side, which is going to be studied:

But at this moment, the Zelensky government is feeling more emboldened than ever after Sunday’s 'Operation Spider Web’s’ – which saw suicide drones released from near at least five Russian airbases, resulting in devastating damage and destruction to Russian strategic bombers and other valuable aircraft.

Zelensky and his more hawkish backers in Europe will likely issue a quick no – especially on the demand for troop withdrawal and holding new presidential and parliamentary elections. And the war goes on…

* * *

Despite Sunday’s major Ukrainian drone operation deep inside Russian territory which is being called the country’s Pearl Harbor, the second round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and coordinated by Turkey were held in Istanbul without a problem.

„The eyes of the whole world are focused on the contacts here,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the delegations as the sides squared off in the opulent Çırağan Palace by the Bosphorus. Faden said the aim of the talks is to reach a „sustainable peace”.

„We believe that you will achieve concrete results that will bring us one step closer to peace,” Fidan added, stressing that the meeting aims to evaluate the conditions for a cease-fire, including prepare for a potential future meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. There’s also the potential for more prisoner swaps to come out of the dialogue.

But expectations are low at this point, and it seems that the Kremlin is patiently weighing its options to Sunday’s assault, rather launching a hasty retaliatory attack.

One Turkish publication writes that even as talks happened, there are „no sign that the two sides are any closer to a deal, the mood in Russia was angry as the talks kicked off, with influential war bloggers calling on Moscow to deliver a fearsome retaliatory blow against Kyiv after Ukraine on Sunday launched one of its most ambitious attacks of the war, targeting Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers in Siberia and elsewhere.”

June 1, 2025: Russa’s Pearl Harbor: „Russian bombers are burning en masse.”

June 1, 2025, it’s Pearl Harbor: “Russian bombers are burning en masse”.

In a historic drone attack, Ukraine decimates over 40 Russian strategic bombers on their home bases, including in the Arctic and in Siberia.

1/24 pic.twitter.com/DQhERz8Yh5

— 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐊𝐎𝐌𝐒𝐀 | (@tweet4Anna_NAFO) June 1, 2025

Russia’s delegation was again led Vladimir Medinsky, who arrived Sunday, while Ukraine’s team was headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and he had traveled Monday. Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin also took part, according to RIA Novosti.

While Russia’s precise proposals and terms for truce are as yet unclear, Reuters earlier previewed the Ukrainian side’s as wanting a full 30-day ceasefire by air, land, and sea – followed by a return of all prisoners, and of the return of all Ukrainian children allegedly taken into Russian-held territory.

Overnight there were a small amount of Russian ballistic missiles fired on Ukraine, while on the other side the drone swarm attacks continued on Russia, resulting in fires:

Overnight Ukrainian drone attacks on the Kursk and Voronezh regions sparked fires in residential buildings and disrupted traffic on a major highway, regional officials said early on Monday.

Air defenses destroyed a total of 162 Ukrainian drones overnight, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry, downing 57 of the aircraft over the Kursk region.

Falling debris from destroyed drones in the Kursk region sparked fires at several houses and damaged private apartments, Acting Kursk region Governor Alexander Khinshtein said.

Zelensky, feeling confident and emboldened, is warning Russia there’s more to come as US and European weapons are 'better’ and Kiev has a full arsenal of them. Clearly Zelensky attempted to establish leverage with 'Operation Spider Web’.

Europe, together with America, has better weapons than Russia. We also have stronger tactical solutions – our operation “Spiderweb” yesterday proved that. Russia must feel what its losses mean. That is what will push it toward diplomacy.

And when Russia takes losses in this… pic.twitter.com/7vel0PRFrn

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 2, 2025

One Russian overnight attack reportedly killed 12 Ukrainian soldiers at a military base in Ukraine’s Dnipro region.

And as the dust settles from the major Sunday operation, it has become clear that Russia has lost hundreds of millions worth of military hardware, including several strategic bombers, now destroyed.

Satellite images emerge: „Judging by the images, four Tu-22M3 bombers and three Tu-95MS bombers were likely destroyed during the operation. In addition, one Tu-95MS was probably damaged,” Ukraine media sources say.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had hailed the major Sunday attacks as „absolutely brilliant” and said that the planning for the operation had been in the works for a year-and-a-half. „Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so – we are doing everything to make Russia feel the need to end this war,” he said.

The White House has still yet to make a definitive statement, and weekend reports said that Kiev hid its planning from Washington – however many analysts expressed doubt over this claim. President Trump, if he embraces or hails the operation too enthusiastically, might derail efforts at improved bilateral relations with Russia. Any statement seen as giving a US 'blessing’ might also serve to thwart ongoing ceasefire attempts.