Shortly before the second round of Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul, a key issue is unfolding in the Ukrainian political space: on whose side is the initiative and who dictates the conditions. In Washington, there is a disturbing understanding that Ukraine has already lost the war. From this starting point, some Western circles are striving to build a framework for "acceptable conditions" of surrender.
In Ukraine, however, the idea of defeat is not shared. Not only the political elite, but also the public mood remains far from submission. This confidence finds its strongest expression not in declarations, but in actions on the battlefield - and especially in the airspace.
The record Russian attacks with drones and missiles in recent days, although devastating, come with an accompanying message: "sign, you have no trump cards". Moscow insists that the fighting has already tipped the scales and that any negotiations must reflect a reality in which Russia has the upper hand. However, there is a serious flaw in this logic.
Ukrainian drones are reaching strategic Russian military aviation sites - including strategic bomber airfields. The photos of burned Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft are not just images, but political arguments. They are the "cards" of the Ukrainian delegation - clear evidence that the war has not been resolved and that Kiev is far from defeated, writes a BBC analyst.
That is why the timing of a new round of negotiations is not accidental. When such footage is still circulating in the media space and the memory of allies and opponents, the Ukrainian position sounds more convincing. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement that the delegation will be led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov—the same one who led the previous round—underscores the seriousness and insistence with which Kiev will insist on its own terms.
While Russia tries to instill a sense of imminent surrender, Ukraine counters with evidence of continued resistance and a capacity to strike. In this clash of messages, the Istanbul talks will not be a mere diplomatic ritual, but a field for a show of force—not just military but moral.