ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Delegations from Ukraine and Russia are set to meet in Istanbul on Monday for peace talks, with this round of negotiations being preceded by a massive Ukrainian drone attack on Russian territory.

A coordinated drone attack orchestrated by Kyiv on Sunday, codenamed Spider’s Web, entailed 117 unmanned aerial vehicles that struck deep within Russian borders, with Ukrainian security services claiming the attack took out 41 military aircraft.

The offensive comes ahead of the latest round of talks between the warring sides, which is set to take place at 1 PM GMT on Monday, coming a month after an initial round of negotiations that saw talk of prisoner exchanges and each side’s respective objectives in the dialogue.

Moscow has stated that it has prepared a memorandum detailing its peace terms, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “The Russians… have not shared their ‘memorandum’ with anyone — we don't have it, the Turkish side doesn't have it, and the American side doesn't have [it].”

Zelensky noted that his country seeks “a full and unconditional ceasefire.” At the same time, the Russian side is expected to push for security guarantees such as prohibiting Ukraine from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and caps on its military capabilities, as well as territorial transfers of land in eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia since its invasion.

Sunday’s Ukrainian drone offensive marked a dramatic show of force ahead of the talks, with Kyiv describing the operation as its longest-range attack since the war began three years ago.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, writing on X on Sunday, said that, “Today, a brilliant operation was carried out — on enemy territory, targeting only military objectives, specifically the equipment used to strike Ukraine. Russia suffered significant losses — entirely justified and deserved.”

Russia currently occupies approximately one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, with the issue of land transfers likely to pose a major hitch in any peace accord.