Putin Unlikely to Attend Turkey Peace Talks, May Send Top Aides
Russian President Vladimir Putin is not expected to attend upcoming peace talks in Turkey and is likely to send senior aides instead – Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and top foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, according to high-ranking Kremlin sources.
The talks, initially proposed by Putin on Sunday as a restart of the 2022 Turkey discussions, are tentatively scheduled for Thursday in Istanbul. If they take place, it would be the first face-to-face negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian officials since the early months of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Putin to attend the meeting in person – an offer the Kremlin has not yet accepted.
Pro-Kremlin analyst Sergei Markov told The Washington Post that a direct meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains unlikely.
“Whether Putin will come to Istanbul for talks now depends on Trump – and if Trump is ready to take responsibility for Zelensky’s behavior,” Markov said.
The Kremlin has not confirmed who will lead the Russian delegation. On Tuesday, Putin’s spokesperson said the names will be announced “when the president deems it necessary.”
The comment suggests Moscow may be waiting to see whether US President Donald Trump, while traveling to the Middle East this week, decides to attend and changes his schedule.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg are expected in Istanbul from the US side.
Trump hinted earlier on Monday that he might attend the Istanbul talks himself. Kellogg, speaking to Fox Business on Tuesday, said President Donald Trump may attend if Putin shows up on Thursday.
Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said on Tuesday that Zelensky will not meet with anyone from the Russian side in Istanbul except for Russian President Vladimir Putin, since the lower-level talks would not be meaningful.
“We understand how Russia’s government works. Even ministers, or Prime Minister [Mikhail] Mishustin, likely don’t have the power to make decisions. Only Putin can decide whether to continue or end the war.”
Zelensky’s Chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak, warned that if Russian President Vladimir Putin skips upcoming peace talks in Turkey, it would show the world he is not serious about ending the war – and called on Western allies to respond with more weapons and sanctions.
Putin suggested the talks himself in a late-night address over the weekend after Ukraine and several European leaders pushed for a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire. The Kremlin has not directly responded to that request but criticized what it called European “ultimatums.”
Putin has said any talks must address the “root causes” of the war – vague language often used by Moscow to justify the invasion.
Russia and Ukraine last held direct talks in Istanbul in March 2022 but failed to reach a deal. Since then, communication has been limited, mostly focused on prisoner exchanges and humanitarian issues.
Source: Kyiv Post