Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the names of the individuals who will represent his country at the Istanbul negotiations on Wednesday. The delegation will be headed by his advisor, Vladimir Medinsky, according to a statement published by the Russian presidency, the Kremlin.
The delegation will also include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov. The list of experts will include Alexander Zorin, Deputy Head of the Information Department of the General Staff, and Yevgenia Podbrevskaya, Deputy Head of the Humanitarian Policy Department of the Russian Presidential Administration.
The list also includes Alexander Poleshchyuk, Director of the Second Department for the Commonwealth of Independent States at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Vladimir Shevtsov, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation at the Ministry of Defense.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a video message posted on the X platform that he would travel to Istanbul to participate in the peace talks, after holding several meetings with his team to prepare for the negotiations.
Zelenskyy indicated the possibility of US President Donald Trump's attendance in Istanbul, considering his participation a "powerful pressure card" that could significantly shift the course of negotiations within a short period.
He affirmed that his country would not hesitate to take steps toward negotiations, emphasizing that "how the war ends depends on the will of the international community," and that Ukraine was open to any negotiating initiative.
For his part, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak stressed the need for Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the Istanbul negotiations in person, arguing that his absence would prevent negotiations at the leadership level.
In a statement to RBC-Ukraine, Podolyak confirmed that President Zelenskyy wants a direct meeting with Putin, adding that the final decision on the Ukrainian delegation's participation in the event of the Russian president's absence will be made by Zelenskyy alone.
Podolyak added that any real negotiations require Putin's presence, noting that Zelenskyy will not participate in any direct meetings with Russian officials without his Russian counterpart.
On May 11, President Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions, calling for the next round to be held on May 15 in Istanbul, following a three-year hiatus.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was asked to host this round, a move welcomed by Ankara, which affirmed its readiness to provide a platform that contributes to achieving a just and lasting peace. The Ukrainian government also announced its welcome of the initiative.
It is noteworthy that Istanbul hosted several rounds of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in March 2022, resulting in the signing of an agreement brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July of the same year to export Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, with the aim of alleviating the global food crisis. The agreement was extended three times before Moscow suspended it on July 17, 2023.
Since February 24, 2022, Russia has continued its military operation in Ukraine, demanding that Kyiv abandon its membership in Western military alliances, which Ukraine considers an interference in its national sovereignty.
