Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on June 3 that Russia would "inevitably" respond to recent attacks by Ukraine, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict.
This statement was made after a series of suspected sabotage incidents by Ukraine targeting railway lines in Russia, as well as UAV attacks targeting many military airports.
However, Russian officials are still attending the next round of direct talks with the Ukrainian representative in Istanbul. On social media, Medvedev - now deputy head of the Russian Security Council - said: "Answer is inevitable. Our army is conducting attacks and will continue to attack. Any targets that need to be destroyed will be destroyed, and any objects that need to be eliminated will be eliminated."
Mr Medvedev affirmed that negotiations in Istanbul are necessary to achieve "the fastest victory and completely eliminate the Kiev government".
At the meeting, Russia proposed two directions leading to a ceasefire and a temporary temporary temporary halt to facilitate military units recovering bodies from the battlefield.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the ceasefire should only serve the purpose of preventing further casualties.
Russia has proposed returning the bodies of more than 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers who died. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Kiev delegation, said Ukraine was ready to respond by returning the bodies of Russian soldiers. The head of the Russian negotiating delegation - assistant to President Vladimir Medinsky - confirmed that Russia agreed to receive back all the bodies transferred by Ukraine.
Kiev has previously agreed to a direct dialogue with Moscow after being pressured by US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his disappointment in the prolonged conflict.
