The delegations are in place but negotiatons have been pushed out to after lunch, according to Moscow FILE PHOTO: The Russian-Ukrainian talks at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul in April 2022. © Getty Images / Cem Ozdel The first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in more than three years are scheduled to take place in Türkiye’s largest city, Istanbul, on Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin offered on Sunday to resume direct dialogue between Moscow and Kiev to find a lasting settlement that would address the root causes of the conflict. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, who had previously ruled out any talks with Moscow, only agreed to attend following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of his support for talks, his claim that Kiev should accept it “immediately,” and that he is also ready to travel to Istanbul. While Zelensky has insisted he would only speak with Putin directly, the Russian president has so far given no indication that he is planning to travel to Türkiye. Moscow and Ukraine last held direct talks in April 2022, also in Istanbul. Following reports that an agreement had been reached, Kiev unilaterally withdrew from the talks. President Putin later blamed Western interference and, in particular, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had reportedly urged Kiev to “just continue fighting,” for derailing the peace process. Russia, which had withdrawn its forces from the outskirts of Kiev as a goodwill gesture, later accused Ukraine of backtracking, saying it had lost trust in Ukraine’s negotiators. 15 May 2025 12:20 GMT Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has declined to say if Vladimir Putin would be taking part in the direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Türkiye at a later stage. Moscow already has a team of negotiators who have been selected by the Russian president, he reminded journalists. “It is too early to talk now about what additional participation and at what level will be required in the future. Because we do not know if the Ukrainian negotiators will show up or not and how the negotiations will progress. The Russian delegation is ready and it is waiting in Istanbul,” Peskov stressed. No preparations are currently underway for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump to meet in Istanbul in the coming days, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. “This issue has not been raised. We have nothing to say on this at the moment,” he stressed. Trump claimed earlier that he could travel to Türkiye where direct talks between Russia and Ukraine are expected to take place, but only if Putin also comes. The head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, said in a Telegram post that he has “arrived in Istanbul on the instructions of the president as promised on May 15.” Moscow’s negotiators are “ready for serious professional work,” he stressed. “The meaning of the direct negotiations proposed by Vladimir Putin is to establish a long-term and lasting peace by eliminating the root causes of the conflict,” he added. FILE PHOTO: Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky © Sputnik / Ekaterina Shtukina The meeting between Russia and Ukraine has not been canceled and is expected to start in two or three hours, a source has told TASS. RIA-Novosti also reported that the talks could begin in around three hours. Zelensky said earlier that he would make a decision on negotiating with Moscow after his discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to Anadolu news agency, a meeting between Erdogan and Zelensky is currently underway in Ankara. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has blasted Vladimir Zelensky as a “pathetic person,” calling it clear to everyone except for the Ukrainian leader himself and his “puppet masters.” He added that Zelensky, who initially demanded Putin come to Istanbul and talk to him personally, instantly changed his tune after his “superiors explained to him that one should not behave so stupidly and that negotiations are needed.” The Guardian has reported that the heads of the Ukrainian delegation are not even in Istanbul where the talks with Russia are expected to take place, and are likely to remain in Ankara until Zelensky has spoken with Erdogan. Vladimir Zelensky has arrived in Ankara, where he is expected to hold a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. After leaving the plane, the Ukrainian leader claimed that the seniority of the delegation sent by Moscow to the talks with Kiev in Istanbul was insufficient. Russia will be represented at the meeting by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin and and the head of Russia’s military intelligence Igor Kostyukov. Medinsky headed Moscow’s delegation during the previous direct talks with Kiev in Istanbul in April 2022, while the presence of Kostyukov makes the lineup of the Russian negotiators even more high-ranking that three years ago. However, the country’s top officials, including President Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, will be staying out of the meeting. Zelensky said that he will make further decisions on negotiating with Russia after his discussions with Erdogan. He also added that Kiev remains in constant contact with Washington regarding the peace process. Vladimir Putin will not attend the direct talks between Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. When asked by journalists if there was a chance of the Russian president traveling to Türkiye, Peskov gave a short answer, saying: “no.” The start of direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations has been rescheduled for the second half of the day at the initiative of the Turkish side, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. Initial media reports suggested that the negotiations could begin at 10am local time in Istanbul (7am GMT). UK national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, is expected to travel to Türkiye to provide background advice to Zelensky, the Guardian has reported. The outlet described the possible negotiations in Istanbul as “an unpredictable meeting in an unclear format.” Powell’s advice to Zelensky would be not to do anything that alienates Donald Trump, but encourage the US president to realize that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is an obstacle to peace, according to the British publication. More
