Ukraine and Russia agree to swap dead and wounded troops but report no progress toward ending war

ISTANBUL (AP) — Representatives of Russia and Ukraine met Monday for their second round of direct peace talks in just over two weeks, but aside from agreeing to swap thousands of their dead and seriously wounded troops, they made no progress toward ending the 3-year-old war, officials said.

The talks unfolded a day after a string of stunning long-range attacks by both sides, with Ukraine launching a devastating drone assault on Russian air bases and Russia hurling its largest drone attack of the war against Ukraine.

At the negotiating table, Russia presented a memorandum setting out the Kremlin’s terms for ending hostilities, the Ukrainian delegation said.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, told reporters that Kyiv officials would need a week to review the document and decide on a response. Ukraine proposed further talks on a date between June 20 and June 30, he said.

After the talks, Russian state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti published the text of the Russian memorandum, which suggested that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the four regions that Russia annexed in September 2022 but never fully captured as a condition for a ceasefire.

As an alternate way of reaching a truce, the memorandum presses Ukraine to halt its mobilization efforts and freeze Western arms deliveries, conditions were suggested earlier by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The document also suggests that Ukraine stop any redeployment of forces and ban any military presence of third countries on its soil as conditions for halting hostilities.

The Russian document further proposes that Ukraine end martial law and hold elections, after which the two countries could sign a comprehensive peace treaty that would see Ukraine declare its neutral status, abandon its bid to join NATO, set limits on the size of its armed forces and recognize Russian as the country's official language on par with Ukrainian.

Ukraine and the West have previously rejected all those demands from Moscow.

In other steps, the delegations agreed to swap 6,000 bodies of soldiers killed in action and to set up a commission to exchange seriously wounded troops.

Kyiv officials said their surprise drone attack Sunday damaged or destroyed more than 40 warplanes at air bases deep inside Russia, including the remote Arctic, Siberian and Far East regions more than 7,000 kilometers (4,300 miles) from Ukraine.

The complex and unprecedented raid, which struck simultaneously in three time zones, took over a year and a half to prepare and was “a major slap in the face for Russia’s military power," said Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the Ukrainian security service, who led its planning.

Zelenskyy called it a “brilliant operation” that would go down in history. The effort destroyed or heavily damaged nearly a third of Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet, according to Ukrainian officials.

Russia on Sunday fired the biggest number of drones — 472 — at Ukraine since its full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s air force said, in an apparent effort to overwhelm air defenses. That was part of a recently escalating campaign of strikes in civilian areas of Ukraine.

U.S.-led efforts to push the two sides into accepting a ceasefire have so far failed. Ukraine accepted the proposed truce, but the Kremlin effectively rejected it. Recent comments by senior officials in both countries indicate they remain far apart on the key conditions for stopping the war.

The previous talks on May 16 in the same Turkish city were the first direct peace negotiations since the early weeks of Moscow’s 2022 invasion. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the fact that the two sides met again Monday was an achievement in itself amid the fierce fighting.

“The fact that the meeting took place despite yesterday’s incident is an important success in itself,” he said in a televised speech.

Zelenskyy said during a trip to Lithuania on Monday that a new release of prisoners of war was being prepared after the Istanbul meeting. The May 16 talks also led to a swap of prisoners, with 1,000 on both sides being exchanged.

During the talks, Zelenskyy said, the Ukrainian delegation handed over a list of nearly 400 abducted children. Russia responded by proposing to “work on up to 10 children.”

"That’s their idea of addressing humanitarian issues,” Zelenskyy said Monday during an online briefing with journalists.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant in 2023 for Putin and the country’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of abducting children from Ukraine.

The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin, said Kyiv had made a “show” out of the topic and that children would be returned if their parents or guardians could be located.

Zelenskyy also told journalists that the Russian side said it was ready for a two- to three-day ceasefire to collect bodies from the battlefield, not a full ceasefire.

"I think they’re idiots, because the whole point of a ceasefire is to prevent people from being killed in the first place. So you can see their mindset — it’s just a brief pause in the war for them,” he added.

The relentless fighting has frustrated U.S. President Donald Trump’s goal of bringing about a quick end to the war. A week ago, he expressed impatience with Putin as Moscow pounded Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles for a third straight night. Trump said on social media that Putin “has gone absolutely CRAZY!”

Ukraine was triumphant after targeting the distant Russian air bases. The official Russian response was muted, with the attack getting little coverage on state-controlled television. The Russia-1 television channel on Sunday evening spent a little over a minute on it with a brief Defense Ministry statement read out before images shifted to Russian drone strikes on Ukrainian positions.

Zelenskyy said the setbacks for the Kremlin would help force it to the negotiating table, even as its pursues a summer offensive on the battlefield.

“Russia must feel what its losses mean. That is what will push it toward diplomacy,” he said Monday in Vilnius, Lithuania, meeting with leaders from the Nordic nations and countries on NATO’s eastern flank.

Ukraine has occasionally struck air bases hosting Russia’s nuclear-capable strategic bombers since early in the war, prompting Moscow to redeploy most of them to the regions farther from the front line.

Because Sunday's drones were launched from trucks close to the bases in five Russian regions, military defenses had virtually no time to prepare for them.

Many Russian military bloggers chided the military for its failure to build protective shields for the bombers despite previous attacks, but the large size of the planes makes that challenging.

The attacks were “a big blow to Russian strategic air power” and exposed significant vulnerabilities in Moscow’s military capabilities, said Phillips O’Brien, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Edward Lucas, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for European Policy Analysis, called it “the most audacious attack of the war” and "a military and strategic game-changer.”

“Battered, beleaguered, tired and outnumbered, Ukrainians have, at minimal cost, in complete secrecy, and over vast distances, destroyed or damaged dozens, perhaps more, of Russia’s strategic bombers,” he said.

Fierce fighting has continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, and both sides have hit each other’s territory with deep strikes.

Russian forces shelled Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, killing three people and wounding 19 others, including two children, regional officials said Monday.

Also, a missile strike and shelling around the southern city of Zaporizhzhia killed five people and wounded nine others, officials said.

Associated Press writers Suzan Frazer in Ankara, Turkey; Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine; Geir Moulson in Berlin; and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukraine's Minister of Defence Affairs Rustem Umerov, speaks to the media at the Ciragan Palace following the Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

The head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky, center, speaks to the media at the Ciragan Palace following the Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a media conference during the Vilnius Summit at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

In this photo released by Acting Governor of the Kursk Region Alexander Khinshtein telegram channel on Saturday, May 31, 2025, a view of a fire at the territory of an agrofirm after Ukrainian drones struck near Rylsk in the western Kursk region of Russia. (Acting Governor of the Kursk Region Alexander Khinshtein via AP)

Members of the Ukrainian delegation arrive at the Ciragan Palace for Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

This photo released by Governor of Irkutsk region Igor Kobzev telegram channel on Sunday, June 1, 2025, shows a truck apparently used to release Ukrainian drones seen burning in the Irkutsk region, more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Ukraine. (Governor of Irkutsk region Igor Kobzev telegram channel via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a media conference during the Vilnius Summit at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

In this photo released by Governor of Irkutsk region Igor Kobzev telegram channel on Sunday, June 1, 2025, plumes of smoke are seen rising over the Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region in eastern Siberia after a Ukrainian drone attack in the Irkutsk region, more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Ukraine. (Governor of Irkutsk region Igor Kobzev telegram channel via AP)

In this photo released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Russian and Ukrainian delegations attend talks at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 2, 2025. (Ukrainian Ministry of Defense via AP)

Security officers patrol outside the Ciragan Palace, where Ukraine-Russia peace talks are taking place in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda, right, welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during arrivals for the Vilnius Summit at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Members of the Russian delegation arrive at the Ciragan Palace for Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Turkish National Intelligence Director Ibrahim Kalin arrives at the Ciragan Palace for Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Members of the Ukrainian delegation arrive at the Ciragan Palace for Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

In this undated photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service, head of the Security Service Vasyl Malyuk studies a photo of a map of Russia's strategic aviation location in his office in Ukraine. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

In this image taken from video released June 1, 2025, by a source in the Ukrainian Security Service shows a Ukrainian drone striking Russian planes deep in Russia's territory. (Source in the Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

Boeing warned plane owners in 2011 about a broken part that contributed to a UPS plane crash that killed 15 last year but at that point the plane manufacturer didn't believe it threatened safety, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.

The UPS plane crashed in November 2025 shortly after taking off in Louisville, Kentucky, when the left engine flew off the wing as the plane rolled down the runway. Three pilots on the plane that was headed for Hawaii were killed along with 12 more people on the ground near Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport.

The NTSB said Wednesday that Boeing had documented in 2011 there were four previous failures of a part that helps secure the MD-11's engines to the wings on three different planes, but at that point the plane manufacturer "determined it would not result in a safety of flight condition." These planes were actually built by McDonnell Douglas, which was later bought by Boeing.

The NTSB previously said investigators found cracks in some of the parts that held the engine to the wing. Those cracks hadn’t been caught in regular maintenance done on the plane, which raised questions about the adequacy of the maintenance schedule. The last time those key engine mount parts were examined closely was in October 2021, and the plane wasn’t due for another detailed inspection for roughly 7,000 more takeoffs and landings.

It’s not clear when the cracks started to develop in the parts that helped hold the engine on the wing, but this crash is reminiscent of a 1979 crash in Chicago when the left engine flew off an American Airlines DC-10 during takeoff, killing 273 people. The DC-10 was the predecessor of the MD-11.

That previous crash led to the worldwide grounding of 274 DC-10s. The airline workhorse was allowed to return to the skies because the NTSB determined that maintenance workers damaged the plane that crashed while improperly using a forklift to reattach the engine. That meant the crash wasn’t caused by a fatal design flaw even though there had already been a number of accidents involving DC-10s.

But former FAA and NTSB crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti said that a service bulletin McDonnell Douglas issued in 1980 did identify failures of the spherical bearing race as a “safety of flight condition” so it's surprising that Boeing didn't call it that in 2011. He said that American had removed the engine of that plane so it could inspect that bearing.

“I just think it raises questions regarding the adequacy of the severity of the 2011 service letter, and it also raises questions about how UPS incorporated that information and acted upon it,” Guzzetti said.

The service bulletin that Boeing issued didn't require plane owners to make repairs like an FAA airworthiness directive would, and the agency didn't issue such a directive.

Former federal crash investigator Alan Diehl said the notice from Boeing recommended replacing the bearings with a redesigned part that was less likely to fail, but it still allowed operators to replace defective bearings with another older bearing that had demonstrated it was prone to failing.

“As the investigation continues, the NTSB will have to address whether this service bulletin was an adequate solution to a known problem which could have had catastrophic results,” Diehl said. “The UPS crash highlights the need for increased maintenance measures on older airframes.”

NTSB didn't say whether there had been additional documented failures of the spherical bearing race since 2011. Investigators found that part broken into two pieces after the UPS crash, and the lugs that held that part were cracked.

Photos released by the NTSB of the Nov. 4 crash show flames erupting as the rear of the engine starting to detach before it flew up and over the wing. Then the wing was engulfed by fire as the burning engine flew above it.

The factual report released Wednesday doesn’t state what caused the engine to fly off, but it's clear that investigators are focused on the failure of this bearing. The ultimate conclusion won't come though until the NTSB's final report, which usually doesn't come until more than a year after a crash.

But the report will undoubtedly be cited in the first lawsuit over the crash that was filed last month and subsequent lawsuits.

The report does make clear that neither of the plane's two other engines were on fire before the crash. Some experts had previously speculated that debris flying off of the left engine might have damaged the engine on the tail.

Boeing, UPS and the Federal Aviation Administration are limited on what they can say while the NTSB investigation is ongoing, so they all declined to comment on Wednesday's report. Boeing and UPS both expressed condolences to the families that lost loved ones in the crash.

“We remain profoundly saddened by the Flight 2976 accident," UPS spokesperson Jim Mayer said. "Our thoughts continue to be with the families and Louisville community who are grieving, and we remain focused on the recovery effort,” Mayer said.

The 34-year-old MD-11 plane only got 30 feet (9.1 meters) off the ground before crashing into several industrial buildings just past the runway and generating a massive fireball that could be seen for miles. Dramatic videos of the crash showed the plane on fire as it plowed into buildings and released a massive plume of smoke.

Airlines quit flying this type of plane commercially years ago because it isn't as efficient as newer models, but they had continued to fly for cargo carriers like UPS and FedEx and a few of these planes were also modified for use in firefighting. All the MD-11s that had been in use and 10 related DC-10s have been grounded since the crash.

A cleanup crew detects and decontaminates water in a ditch during a tour of the UPS plane crash site, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg speaks during a tour of the UPS plane crash site, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

A UPS Boeing 737 takes over a destroyed truck during a tour of the UPS plane crash site, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

FILE - This photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows UPS plane crash scene on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025 in Louisville, Ky. (NTSB via AP, File)

FILE - Plumes of smoke rise from the area of a UPS cargo plane crash at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry, File)