Today, Istanbul is hosting negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian delegation has been waiting nearly 24 hours for the arrival of Kiev’s representatives to begin the dialogue.
The meeting is being held in the Turkish Presidency's Dolmabahce working office following the trilateral talks. There was no handshake between the Russian and Ukrainian sides.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was making a speech at the start of the meeting. His welcoming speech was broadcast by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Fidan described the current phase of the Ukraine settlement process as critical and announced the parties’ readiness for direct negotiations.
Who represents Russia
The Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul the day before and was prepared to begin talks by the morning of May 15. Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the delegation’s composition overnight on May 14-15. It includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin. The delegation is led by Presidential Assistant Vladimir Medinsky, who also served as a negotiator in 2022.
The goal of direct talks with Ukraine is to establish lasting peace and address the root causes of the crisis, Vladimir Medinsky emphasized.
Who represents Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky approved his delegation’s composition late on May 15. It includes First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia, Deputy Head of Ukraine’s Security Service Oleksandr Poklad, First Deputy Chairman of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service Oleh Luhovskyi, Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff Oleksiy Shevchenko, and others. The delegation is headed by Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Kiev’s negotiators arrived in Turkey on the morning of May 16.
Also present in Istanbul are Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Head of the Office of the Ukrainian President Andriy Yermak, though they are not part of the delegation approved by Zelensky.
Preceding talks
The Russian-Ukrainian meeting was preceded by trilateral negotiations between Turkey, the United States, and Ukraine. These were held at the level of the countries’ foreign ministers, with participation from Hakan Fidan, Marco Rubio, and Dmytro Kuleba."
