Ukraine peace negotiations begin in Türkiye without Putin and Trump

Direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, which have been interrupted for nearly three years, are set to begin today, Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul, with Türkiye acting as host.

It has been announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will not be present at this critical meeting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, arrived in Türkiye on Wednesday specifically for these discussions.

Details of Russia’s negotiating team announced

A statement from the Kremlin has indicated that the Russian delegation will be led by Presidential Advisor Vladimir Medinsky. The team will also include Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, and the Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff, Igor Kostyukov.

Furthermore, it was mentioned that experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Staff, the Ministry of Defense, and the presidential administration are part of the delegation.

Among these specialists are Aleksandr Zorin, First Deputy Head of the Main Information Directorate of the General Staff; Yelena Podobreyevskaya, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration for State Policies in Humanitarian Areas; Aleksey Polishchuk, Head of the Second Department for CIS Countries of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Viktor Shevtsov, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation of the Ministry of Defense.

While the Kremlin has not provided information regarding Putin’s personal participation in the talks, it has been learned that neither Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov nor Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov is included in the delegation.

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned that Putin has a series of “working meetings” scheduled for the day of the peace talks.

Zelenskyy in Türkiye

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Türkiye yesterday. This visit comes despite his earlier statements that he would only travel to Istanbul for a personal meeting with Putin. According to information from Kyiv, President Zelenskyy is scheduled to hold a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday.

Sources from the Ukrainian television channel NV report that the Ukrainian delegation, alongside Zelenskyy, includes Andriy Yermak, Head of the Presidential Administration; Rustem Umerov, Defense Minister; Andriy Sybiha, Foreign Minister (who is already in Türkiye); and Ihor Zhovkva, Zelenskyy’s Diplomatic Advisor.

Trump’s non-attendance confirmed

It has now been confirmed that US President Donald Trump will also not be attending the talks. This decision follows Russian President Putin’s approval of his own delegation’s composition.

An American official familiar with the matter, speaking to Reuters, conveyed that Trump had previously considered interrupting his Middle East tour to participate in the discussions but ultimately decided against it.

Trump had previously stated he might attend the talks “to save lives,” contingent on Putin’s presence.

Nevertheless, three sources acquainted with diplomatic plans have reported that the US President’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, are expected to travel to Türkiye on Thursday.

On Sunday, Russian President Putin had proposed unconditional direct talks with Ukraine to be held in Istanbul.

President Zelenskyy, responding to this, emphasized that Ukraine is prepared for any negotiation format and is not shying away from discussions, remarking, “If Putin does not come to the meeting, it will look like a complete defeat for him.”

According to a report by the TASS agency, which cited a source familiar with the meeting’s organization, the talks were initially scheduled to commence at 10:00 AM local time at Dolmabahçe Palace. However, it has been reported that they have been postponed until the afternoon.

The negotiations are being conducted behind closed doors. It is noteworthy that Russia-Ukraine talks were previously held at the same venue in March 2022.