Kremlin: Putin may meet Zelenskyy after delegations finalize key agreements
Nation17 May 2025, 02:18 PM
A meeting between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is possible but only after "certain agreements" are reached by both delegations, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on May 17, according to Russian state media.
Peskov added that for Russia, “the key and most fundamental issue” is determining who, on the Ukrainian side, would be authorized to sign any agreements resulting from the talks.
He claimed that during negotiations in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange lists of proposed ceasefire terms and that work on this is underway. The talks remain behind closed doors, and there are currently no discussions about changing the composition of the delegations, Peskov said.
On May 16, Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s delegation in Istanbul, said the talks included discussions about a potential meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin, which would be the next step if groundwork is established.