The Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will not attend the Ukrainian-Russian peace talks scheduled for May 15 in Istanbul, according to an announcement from the Kremlin. Instead, the Russian delegation will be led by Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky, with senior officials from Russia’s Foreign and Defence Ministries.
The delegation includes Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Minister of Defence Oleksandr Fomin. Additional members are the first deputy head of the Information Directorate of the General Staff, a deputy from the Kremlin’s humanitarian policy office, a director from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for CIS countries, and a deputy head of Russia’s international military cooperation office.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he will arrive in Turkey on May 15 with his delegation. Zelensky emphasised that so far, no specific formats for negotiations have been agreed upon beyond the possibility of direct talks between the heads of state.
Separately, the United States will also be involved in talks in Istanbul, with US Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio arriving on May 16 to participate in the discussions.
