Russia's Medvedev, Putin's second-in-command, makes clear that his country wants "swift victory" and "complete destruction" of the Ukraine government

Medvedev: Russia wants dominance, not negotiations (Tass)

Vladimir Putin's chief lieutenant issued an inflammatory statement after a second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday, and the "rare moment of honesty" indicates Russia is not interested in a negotiated settlement of its war with Ukraine, according to a U.S. senator who supports a bill calling for enhanced sanctions against Russia. The Kyiv Independent reports on the latest developments under the headline "'Rare moment of honesty' — US Senator Graham says Medvedev's comments show Russia not 'interested in peace'":

Russian ex-President Dmitry Medvedev's statement that Russia seeks only a "swift victory" and the "complete destruction" of the Ukrainian government at the Istanbul peace talks is a "rare moment of honesty," U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said on June 3.

"I appreciate you making it clear to the world that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and Russia are not remotely interested in peace," said Graham, a Republican lawmaker backing a bill on major new sanctions against Russia.

Graham made the statement in reaction to Medvedev's Telegram post, in which the deputy chairman of the Russian security council admitted that "the Istanbul negotiations are not intended for reaching a compromise peace based on someone's unrealistic conditions."

Russia and Ukraine held the second round of peace negotiations on June 2, during which Russia yet again rejected a long-term ceasefire and instead presented a memorandum with a list of harsh demands on Kyiv.

These reportedly included official recognition of Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territories, Ukraine's full withdrawal from four partially occupied regions, a ban on joining NATO, limits on the military, and more conditions.

Russia did not even abide by its commitment to issue a written proposal for a future peace deal prior to the second round of talks, according to a report at NPR from Moscow and Kyiv:

Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Istanbul Monday for a second round of peace negotiations, only a day after a series of surprise Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian air bases deep behind the front lines.

Expectations were low going into the meeting. Both sides had pledged to present written proposals for a future peace deal — but that exchange didn't go smoothly.

While Ukraine submitted its draft in advance, Russia withheld its version until the meeting began, drawing complaints of "gamesmanship" from Kyiv's delegation.

In the end, the talks lasted just over an hour and produced little movement on long-term peace. Still, there was one concrete outcome: an agreement to expand prisoner exchanges.

After more than three years of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the  carefully planned drone attacks, intended to hit bombers that launch missiles on Ukrainian cities, was celebrated by Ukrainians, who called it "Operation Trojan Trucks" on social media.

Ukraine's Security Service smuggled first-person view drones laden with small explosives onto trucks driven deep into Russia. The operation was recognized by Ukrainian officials as a much-needed win.

"The enemy has been bombing our country almost every night from these aircraft, and today they actually felt that retaliation is inevitable," Vasyl Malyuk, the head of Ukraine's Security Service, said in a statement.

The drones — deployed from trucks parked along highways in proximity to Russian military installations — were used to strike 41 heavy bomber jets in bases as far away as Murmansk in Russia's Arctic north and Irkutsk in Siberia, more than 2,700 miles away from the Ukrainian border.

Malyuk said the drones were hidden under the roofs of wooden cabins placed on trucks. These roofs were opened remotely, and the drones flew out to hit the Russian bombers, he said.

"Our strikes will continue as long as Russia terrorizes Ukrainians with missiles and Shaheds," he said, referring to the Iranian-designed drones that have played a central role in Russia's aerial assault on Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Medvedev's statements in Instanbul suggest Russia never intended to negotiate a peace deal in good faith. From The Kyiv Independent:

Moscow's real goal in the talks is a "swift victory and the complete destruction" of the Ukrainian government, Medvedev said. He referred to Ukrainian authorities as a "neo-Nazi regime," referring to Russia's false narratives about the Nazi-led government in Kyiv that were used as a pretext for Russian aggression.

"This is the meaning of the Russian memorandum published yesterday (June 2)." Medvedev has gained notoriety during the full-scale war for his theatrical and incendiary remarks aimed at Ukraine and its Western partners.

Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of intentionally stalling the negotiations to allow its forces to take more territory in the meantime.

"Our army is actively advancing and will continue to advance. Everything that should explode will explode, and everybody who should be exterminated will disappear," Medvedev said.

This seemed to be a threat that key government officials in Ukraine ultimately will be kidnapped, murdered, or both. Again, Medvedev's words appeared to be another example of bad faith on Russia's part:

During the talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian delegation also presented a peace proposal, which included a prisoner swap in an all-for-all format, the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, as well as the release of all civilians held in Russian captivity.

According to the Ukrainian proposal seen by The Kyiv Independent, Kyiv would retain its right to join the EU and NATO. Ukraine also highlighted the need for security guarantees to avoid further Russian invasion.

Like the first round of talks on May 16, this week's negotiations ended without any tangible progress toward a long-term ceasefire or a peace deal. Instead, the two parties agreed on a new prisoner exchange, which could involve up to 1,200 prisoners on each side.

Moscow also proposed a brief ceasefire lasting up to three days to collect the bodies of fallen soldiers.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called upon U.S. President Donald Trump to adopt tougher sanctions against Russia if the Istanbul talks fail to achieve progress. A bipartisan bill proposed by Graham, which he said will "start moving" forward this week, would impose 500% tariffs on imports from countries purchasing Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products.