The team will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, who headed the Russian team during the negotiations in 2022 FILE PHOTO. Vladimir Medinsky pictured during talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. © Sputnik / Sergey Karpukhin Russian President Vladimir Putin late on Wednesday named the country’s delegation for proposed talks with Ukraine, expected to take place in Istanbul the next day. The team will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who headed Moscow’s side during negotiations with Kiev in 2022. The delegation also includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin and the head of Russia’s military intelligence, Igor Kostyukov. Apart from the negotiators themselves, Putin unveiled a team of experts who will also participate. It is composed of several senior military and civil officials, as well as diplomats. Earlier in the day, Ukrainian media reports indicated the country’s leader Vladimir Zelensky was set to travel to Istanbul alongside several top officials, including his head of office Andrey Yermak, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga. The exact composition of the negotiating team, however, is expected to be determined by Zelensky on the spot. Putin offered on Sunday to resume direct talks with Kiev, stating that only negotiations could lead to “some kind of new truce and a new ceasefire.” “We are set on serious negotiations with Ukraine. Their aim is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and to achieve a long-term lasting peace for a historical perspective,” the president said. The offer got a mixed reaction from Ukraine and its supporters, who continued to insist that talks be preceded by at least a 30-day truce. After the proposal was backed by US President Donald Trump, however, Zelensky proclaimed his readiness to negotiate with the Russian president “personally” in Istanbul. The Kremlin announcement of its team was met with apparent disappointment in Kiev. Zelensky’s aide Mikhail Podoliak launched a personal attack on Medinsky, claiming the Russian official was not the right figure to discuss unspecified “fundamental issues.” “No, of course not, that’s not the format. The president can’t meet, especially with Medinsky – the status won’t be entirely clear,” Podoliak stated.
