Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and his press secretary Dmitry Peskov (left), Photo: “Kommersant
The Kremlin has officially announced that a Russian delegation will arrive in Istanbul on 15 May for potential direct talks with Ukraine. At the same time, Moscow did not disclose who exactly will represent Russia, leaving intrigue about Vladimir Putin’s personal participation.
This was announced by the spokesman for the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, Reuters reports.
“We will announce the composition of the delegation as soon as we receive instructions from the president. No such instructions have been received yet,” Peskov said.
At the same time, he confirmed that Putin’s initiative to hold talks in Istanbul “remains valid” and that the Russian delegation will wait for the arrival of the Ukrainian side.
Zelenskyy is ready to meet, Trump is under pressure of expectations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has invited Donald Trump to come to Turkey to influence the Russian leader. Trump himself, who returned to the US presidency on 20 January 2025, said he was “considering” attending the talks in person, but for now, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Istanbul.
“If Trump agrees to attend, it may give Putin an additional incentive to come,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader also confirmed that he would in any case go to Ankara to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
International pressure is growing: from Paris to Brazil
Key European capitals joined the diplomatic pressure: Kyiv, Paris, Berlin, London and Warsaw called on Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire from 12 May, threatening new sanctions.
Unexpectedly, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also took the initiative. At a press conference in Beijing, he promised to personally address Putin:
“Hey, Comrade Putin, go to Istanbul for talks, for God’s sake.”
Context: an attempt to move the war forward
The previous direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul took place in March 2022 and yielded no results. Since then, the dialogue has been effectively curtailed. Now, amid Trump’s return to power, international diplomacy has intensified. It remains to be seen whether 15 May will be a turning point in the war, but expectations are extremely high.
