Putin to skip peace talks in Turkey – DW – 05/15/2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend Thursday’s potential first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in three years.

On Sunday, Putin proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday “without any preconditions.”

On Wednesday evening, the Kremlin announced that the delegation would include presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.

Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov were not named in the delegation. All three had been rumored as top negotiators.

After the Kremlin announced its delegation, a US official said that President Donald Trump would not attend, despite having said days earlier that he was considering the trip.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian official said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was on his way to Turkey. Earlier, Zelenskyy said he would only take part in the negotiations if Putin were present.

Although Putin had never confirmed his attendance, the absence of the Russian and US presidents has lowered expectations for a significant breakthrough in the Istanbul talks.

The US delegation, which includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, is also expected in Turkey.

On Thursday morning, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced that he had met with Rubio to discuss Zelenskyy’s vision for peace and to coordinate their positions during this critical week.

Peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are set to begin in Istanbul, Turkey.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who proposed the talks, will not be in attendance.

Meanwhile, his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is traveling to Istanbul.

Zelenskyy had previously stated that he would only participate in the negotiations if Putin were present.