Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Türkiye, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Putin to engage in direct talks this week.
The Russian delegation will instead be led by Putin's aide and former Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, the Kremlin said in a statement. Zelenskyy said earlier this week that he hoped to personally negotiate with Putin in Türkiye to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings,” said Zelenskyy on Monday. “And I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses.”
United States President Donald Trump will also not attend, though he had said that he was considering doing so.
“I don't know that he [Putin] would be there if I'm not there,” Trump said Wednesday while visiting Saudi Arabia. “I know he would like me to be there, and that's a possibility. If we could end the war, I'd be thinking about that.”
Russia and Ukraine last held direct negotiations in March 2022, one month after the conflict began.
Zelenskyy will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to Ankara on Thursday.
Representatives from NATO nations will also convene in Istanbul, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met with Rubio ahead of the talks to affirm Ukraine’s commitment to U.S.-led peace negotiations.
Heads of government from the U.K., France, Germany, and Poland visited Kyiv on 10 May. Along with Sybiha, these leaders said they would support a ceasefire for at least 30 days beginning this week.
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