Russia and Ukraine talks end in Istanbul as Kyiv source brands Russia’s demands ‘unrealistic’

The first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine since 2022 ended in the Turkish city of Istanbul after less than two hours as the delegations prepare press statements, a source told state news agency TASS after conflicting reports that the talks had been put “on pause”.

A Ukrainian diplomatic source previously told Reuters that Russia’s demands in Istanbul were “detached from reality” and went “far beyond” anything previously discussed.

The Russian delegation was headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, while the Ukrainian delegation was led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan chaired the talks, TASS reported, despite Russia reportedly requesting to speak with Ukraine without mediators.

Fidan opened the talks by saying “We must seize this opportunity to move forward on the path to peace. Each day of delay causes more lives to be lost”, Türkiye Today reported.

Ahead of the talks, the Ukrainian delegation said it planned to discuss a ceasefire and a personal meeting between Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Reuters.

Speaking in Tirana on Friday where he was attending the sixth meeting of the European Political Community, Zelensky said “This week we had a real chance to take important steps towards ending this war, if only Putin had not been afraid to come to Türkiye. I was in Ankara yesterday … and I was ready for a direct meeting with Putin whether in Ankara or in Istanbul. And not just for a meeting, but to resolve all the important issues… But he didn’t agree to anything.”

Zelensky, who was in Ankara on Thursday for talks with Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdoğan amid hopes that Putin might also travel to the country to meet him in person, left for the Albanian capital Tirana when it was announced that Russia was sending a more junior delegation to meet representatives from Ukraine.

Zelensky expressed disappointment at the delegates Russia had sent to Istanbul. “You can also see that the Russian delegation that came to Istanbul is of a very low level. None of them are people who actually make decisions in Russia,” he said, adding that Ukraine was “ready to take all realistic steps to end this war.”

Writing on Telegram, Zelensky said that he and French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who met on the sidelines of the meeting in Tirana, had also spoken to US President Donald Trump by telephone as they ponder their next moves.

Earlier on Friday, the Ukrainian delegation held talks with representatives from the US and Türkiye at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace, according to Turkish state news agency Anadolu. They also met with national security advisers from the UK, France and Germany, as well as Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg.

With expectations low that the talks will produce concrete results, US President Donald Trump said that he would need to meet Putin personally if the conflict was to find a resolution, according to TASS.