Negotiations in Istanbul: Putin approves the composition of the Russian delegation
14 May 2025 23:30
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has approved the composition of the Russian delegation for talks with Ukraine, which are to take place tomorrow, May 15, in Istanbul. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the Kremlin’s website.
Putin signed a decree “On the composition of the Russian delegation for negotiations with Ukraine.”
It is noted that the delegation will be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. It will also include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, and an expert group.
In addition, the Kremlin head approved the composition of experts for the 2025 talks. It includes:
- Alexander Sergeevich Zorin, First Deputy Chief of Information of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces;
- Yevgenia Podobreevskaya, Deputy Head of the Kremlin Presidential Directorate for State Policy in the Humanitarian Sphere;
- Aleksey Anatolyevich Polishchuk, Director of the Second Department for CIS Countries of the Russian Foreign Ministry;
- Viktor Shevtsov, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation of the Russian Defense Ministry.
Based on the list, Putin is not likely to participate in the talks.
The day before, it was reported that Russia would be represented at the talks with the Ukrainian side in Istanbul by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. However, it was later reported that Lavrov would not be traveling to Turkey for the meeting.
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What to expect in Istanbul
On the night of May 11, Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced his readiness for direct talks with the Ukrainian side, which are to take place in Istanbul on May 15. However, in his statement, he did not mention a single word about a possible 30-day ceasefire, as the Ukrainian side and its partners want.
US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine must urgently agree to the talks in Turkey proposed by Putin for May 15. At the same time, the American president did not pay attention to the absence of a 30-day truce clause in the Kremlin’s proposal.
Nevertheless, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed and wrote that he would personally wait for Putin in Turkey to meet on May 15. At the same time, he expressed hope that the ceasefire would begin on May 12.
The Kremlin has officially confirmed that it is preparing for the talks, but has not said who will attend them.
Russia has not accepted the ceasefire.
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