Just hours after Russia and Ukraine held rare direct peace talks, Kyiv says nine civilians have been killed in a drone strike that hit a bus. Follow the latest below.
Saturday 17 May 2025 11:49, UK
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
We’ve reported on details from the Ukraine-Russia meeting in Turkey, ranging from chilling threats to territorial demands – see the post below and at 9.34am.
A source in the Ukrainian team told Sky News that Russia had threatened “eternal war” during the talks.
They said the Russians were not ready to talk about technical details of a ceasefire and were waiting for superiors to approve them.
Reuters news agency now has some more detail it says comes from a senior Ukrainian official.
According to that source, Russia proposed the following terms:
According to the official, Russian negotiators gave those demands verbally, and did not share any document outlining those terms.
Ukraine has already said Moscow’s negotiating position in Istanbul showed it is not serious about peace.
By Dominic Waghorn, international affairs editor
What happened in yesterday’s peace talks should give Donald Trump pause for thought about Vladimir Putin’s intentions.
The message they brought was blunt and belligerent, threatening eternal war.
“We don’t want war, but we’re ready to fight for a year, two, three – however long it takes,” lead Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky is reported to have said.
“We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?”
Far from offering a compromise, they are said to have demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the four regions they have partially seized by force and the capitulation of another two, just for good measure.
And there was a chilling moment when the Russians are reported to have threatened their interlocutors like gangsters.
“Maybe some of those sitting here at this table will lose more of their loved ones,” one said.
Russia is prepared to fight forever.
Read the full analysis in the link below…
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told reporters he hopes to achieve a “definitive result” from peace talks his country has hosted.
Delegations from both Russia and Ukraine met for the first time in years this week in Turkey, for talks we understand lasted two hours.
According to a transcript of remarks the president made to the media overnight, Erdogan said Turkey is determined to continue its mediation role.
For more on what happened during those talks, scroll down to our 9.34am post.
State news agency TASS reports Russia’s defence ministry has claimed a settlement in the east of Ukraine.
According to the report, the ministry said its troops have seized Oleksandropil, which is in the Donetsk region.
This has not been independently verified.
The map below shows where the village is, with the Donetsk region highlighted in yellow.
There’s a bit more information to bring you now on the reported Ukrainian drone strikes in occupied Crimea.
Reuters cited a source in Ukraine’s security service, who said Ukrainian drones struck an ammo depot in the peninsula, causing a “powerful explosion” (see our 9am post).
The Kyiv Post now reports it has spoken to a source who has told them the same thing.
“Efforts to weaken the enemy’s military capabilities will continue,” the source said.
The Post added sources said there were “Russian military personnel killed in the strike”.
Crimea has been occupied by Russia since 2014.
Some new lines from the Kremlin to bring you now.
Vladimir Putin’s mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov has just said the Russian president could meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy only after certain agreements.
Putin did not attend Russia-Ukraine peace talks this week, ignoring challenges from Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face.
Peskov did not specify what agreements would be required, and he refused to comment on terms Russia presented in those talks.
He did add one issue for Russia is who exactly on the Ukrainian side would sign documents.
There has also been no contact with the US, he said, adding they will announce a conversation with Donald Trump if it is considered useful.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned the “deliberate killing of civilians” after a Russian drone hit a bus in northern Ukraine.
As we’ve been reporting, Kyiv has accused Moscow of striking a bus just hours after their first direct peace talks since 2022.
Nine people have been killed, according to authorities, and Zelenskyy says seven have been wounded – rising from the earlier figure of four.
“There are currently seven wounded people in hospitals following a Russian drone strike on an ordinary passenger bus,” he said.
“The victims have suffered burns, fractures, and blast injuries.”
According to preliminary reports, he said, Russia “killed a family” – a “father, mother, and daughter”.
“All the deceased were civilians,” he added.
“And the Russians could not have failed to understand what kind of vehicle they were targeting. This was a deliberate killing of civilians.”
This morning’s attack in Ukraine – killing nine civilians, according to authorities – came on the morning after rare peace talks.
Delegations from Kyiv and Moscow met face-to-face for the first time since 2022, although talks only lasted two hours.
The meeting in Istanbul was set up at short notice at Vladimir Putin’s behest, but he declined a challenge from Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet in person.
Our international correspondent Alex Rossi breaks down what happened in that meeting and what came of it.
Most of the civilians on the bus reportedly struck by a Russian drone were women “of retirement age”, according to a local community chief.
Yurii Zarko told media outlet Suspilne two or three men also died in the attack, which killed nine in total and injured four – see our 7.55am post.
A period of mourning has been declared in Bilopillia, in the Sumy region, where the strike took place.
Zarko called today “black Saturday”.
The injured have been taken to a hospital in Sumy, the regional capital.
Three people are reported to be in a serious condition.
According to a source in Ukraine’s security service, its drones have hit an ammunition depot in Crimea.
The attack caused a “powerful explosion”, the source said, as cited by Reuters news agency.
The source added the depot belongs to the 126th brigade of Russia’s Coastal Defence, and is located in the southern village of Perevalne.
Crimea has been occupied by Russia since it was illegally annexed by Moscow’s forces in 2014.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free