Volodymyr Zelensky faced the first major protest in Kyiv on Tuesday (Image: Getty)
Russia and Ukraine delegates are meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, today to resume peace talks. But the Kremlin has once again swerved Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's request for a high-profile summit, the only meeting he believes could lead to peace in his country.
In the run-up to today's meeting, Moscow dampened hopes for any breakthrough, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying not to expect any "miracles". He said: “There is no reason to expect any breakthroughs in the category of miracles – it is hardly possible in the current situation. We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning.” The peace talks come at a difficult time for Mr Zelensky, who on Tuesday saw the first major protest erupt in Kyiv since the beginning of the war. Local fury was prompted after the Ukrainian president signed a law targeting the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies. The move rattled the European Union too, with the Commission saying it was "seriously concerned" about the legislation.
Russia launched 71 Shahed drones in an overnight barrage, Ukraine's air force said.
Just 26 of them reached their targets, with the rest failing. They were aunched from the Kursk, Millerovo and Primorsko-Akhtarsk regions, and targeted the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv. and Cherkasy regions.
The air force said: "As of 09:00, air defence systems have shot down or jammed 27 Russian Shahed-type UAVs (and other types) in the north, east and centre of the country.
"Another 18 UAVs disappeared from radar or were suppressed by electronic warfare. A total of 26 UAV impacts were recorded in 14 locations and debris from downed drones fell in five locations."
Russia launched an overnight attack on Ukraine. (Image: Getty)
Who will be in the Ukrainian delegation for peace talks?
Rustem Umerov: Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, head of the delegation Oleksandr Diakov: Deputy Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Navy Serhii Kyslytsia: First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Oleh Luhovskyi: First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Yevhenii Ostrianskyi: Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Poklad: Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vadym Skibitskyi: Deputy Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine
Welcome to our live blog. We'll bring you the latest on the peace talks being held in Istanbul today and the ongoing Russian invasion.
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