Medinsky is in charge, but Trump won’t come: what is known about the negotiations in Istanbul

Vladimir Medinsky headed the Russian delegation in 2022

Peace negotiations between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine are due to begin in Istanbul on May 15, “Verstka” tells what is known about them.

The negotiations will take place in the office of the Turkish President. According to TASS, we are talking about the Dolmabahce Palace - it was there that the delegations negotiated in 2022. They will take place closed to the press.

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When will negotiations begin in Istanbul?

TASS reported that the meeting is scheduled to begin on May 15 at 10 a.m. Moscow time. The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation said that the time of the negotiations is not yet known, and with the help of such statements the Russian side probably wants to “manipulate the topic of negotiations.”

After this, Russian news agencies clarified that the negotiations would take place “closer to the afternoon” and “after lunch.” An anonymous Ukrainian official told AFP that Vladimir Zelensky will first hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “and only then will he decide on further steps.”

Who will be part of the delegations at the Istanbul negotiations

The Kremlin announced the composition of the delegation on the evening of May 14. Vladimir Medinsky, who heads the Russian delegation, also led it during the negotiations in Istanbul in 2022. In addition to the presidential aide, it included Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.

Kyiv has not officially announced who will represent it in the negotiations. According to Radio NV, the Ukrainian delegation will include President Vladimir Zelensky, head of the presidential office Andrey Ermak, heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense Andrey Sibiga and Rustem Umerov.

Zelensky himself has already arrived in Turkey. Previously, he promised to wait for Vladimir Putin at the negotiations “in person.” “We are waiting for a ceasefire from tomorrow - complete and lasting, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There's no point in dragging out the killings. And I will wait for Putin on Thursday in Turkey. Personally,” Zelensky wrote.

The United States will be represented at the negotiations by US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Mark Rubio. The latter had already met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiga the day before in Antalya, where an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers is taking place.

Trump decided not to come to the talks

Three days earlier, the US President said that he accepted the possibility of going to Turkey. “As I understand it, both leaders will be there. I was thinking about flying there. I'll have a few meetings, but I was thinking about the possibility of flying there if I thought something was going to happen. <…> I don’t know where I will be at this particular moment, I will be somewhere in the Middle East, but I would fly there if I thought it would be useful,” Trump said on May 12.

Probably, the American leader could fly to Turkey for a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin. However, as Vorstka already wrote, Putin initially did not intend to fly to Turkey - no work was carried out within the president’s entourage to prepare for the visit.

Photo: Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul. Wikipedia

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