Putin to skip Istanbul talks, sends aides instead
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will send aide Vladimir Medinsky to lead a delegation for talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, the Kremlin’s press service announced on May 14.
Putin himself will not attend the negotiations.
Besides Medinsky, the delegation will include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, and military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov.
Medinsky and Fomin were part of the Russian delegation during negotiations with Ukraine in early 2022, also held in Istanbul.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said he was prepared to negotiate only with Putin and had not considered an alternative format. According to NV sources, on May 15 during his visit to Turkey, Zelenskyy will be accompanied by his Chief-of-Staff Andriy Yermak, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, foreign affairs adviser Ihor Zhovkva. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who arrived earlier in Antalya for an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers, will also join the delegation.
In an evening address on May 14, Zelensky said he was awaiting details on Russia’s delegation before deciding Ukraine’s next steps.
The Washington Post reported that when Russia hesitated to name its delegation, Zelenskyy saw little reason to fly to Turkey and even considered banning his aides from meeting Russian officials until representatives from the United States and Europe persuaded him otherwise. On May 13, Zelenskyy said Putin’s absence from the meeting would underscore Russia’s unwillingness to end the war and would compel Ukraine’s partners to impose strong sanctions on Moscow.
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