Russian delegation arrives in Istanbul ahead of potential Ukraine peace talks as Putin not expected to join
Editor's note: The article was updated with statements from Ukrainian official Andrii Kovalenko and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
A plane with the Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul ahead of planned peace talks with Ukraine, pro-state news agency Interfax reported on May 15, citing sources in aviation services.
President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Russian President Vladimir Putin for direct negotiations in Istanbul, but the Russian leader seemingly declined to attend and appointed his aide, Vladimir Medinsky, to lead the talks.
The negotiations are expected to begin at around 10 a.m. local time in a closed-door format, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported. Ukrainian official Andrii Kovalenko later refuted that the meeting would be scheduled for this time.
The Russian state media later reported that the meeting is likely to take place in the second half of the day.
The Russian delegation will also consist of Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Military Intelligence Director Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
The delegation's list is notably void of Putin himself and other Kremlin top politicians, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, was also absent from the list.
Putin held a preparatory meeting on the evening of May 14 with the Russian delegates, Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belusov, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, and chiefs of military and security forces, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, according to TASS.
Ukraine's Presidential Office has said that Zelensky would not meet lower-level Russian officials if Putin refuses to come, making the format of the expected talks uncertain.
The Ukrainian president is set to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara before the planned Istanbul talks.
"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," Zelensky said on the evening of May 14.
Kyiv and its allies have urged Moscow to adopt an unconditional ceasefire starting May 12 as the first step toward peace talks — a proposal Russia has ignored.
U.S. President Donald Trump initially voiced optimism about the prospects of a Zelensky-Putin meeting and suggested he might attend as well. However, a White House official on May 14 said that Trump will not attend the peace talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Turkey on May 14 and met with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Antalya. Sybiha also met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Istanbul with Rubio on May 16 to participate in discussions on Ukraine.
Read also: Ukraine's next steps will be based on who Russia sends to peace talks, Zelensky says
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