President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would send a delegation to Istanbul on Monday for a new round of direct peace talks with Russia, despite Russia's recent missile strike on Ukraine that killed 12 troops and launched the largest drone attack in three years of war.
In his message on Telegram, Mr. Zelensky noted that the Ukrainian delegation will be headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
“We are making every effort to protect our independence, our country and our people,” Mr. Zelensky said.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials called on the Kremlin to provide a promised memorandum outlining its position on ending the war before the talks began.
Moscow confirmed that it will present its memorandum during the negotiation process.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian Air Force said Russia had launched a record number of drones into Ukraine since it launched a full-scale invasion three years ago.
According to the BBC, 472 drones were launched over Ukraine.
Yuriy Ignat, the Ukrainian Air Force's chief of communications, said Russian forces also launched seven missiles in addition to the drone attacks.
Earlier on Sunday, the Ukrainian army said at least 12 Ukrainian troops were killed and more than 60 were wounded in a Russian missile strike on an army training unit.
Meanwhile, Kyiv has destroyed more than 40 military aircraft in a drone attack on Russian territory, according to a Ukrainian security official.
The official said that it took more than a year and a half to prepare for this operation, and it was personally supervised by Mr. Zelensky.
According to him, during the operation, the drones were transported in containers on trucks deep into Russian territory.
The drones reportedly hit 41 bombers at several airfields, including the Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region, more than 2,500 miles from Ukraine.
Local Governor Igor Kobzev said this was the first time a Ukrainian drone had been spotted in the region.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
