Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holding a press conference in Kyiv on May 13, 2025. (Credit: Genya Savilov.)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will not participate in the talks in Istanbul but remains "ready" for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a Ukrainian official speaking to AFP.
The official also stated that Zelensky will send a delegation to Istanbul to meet with the Russians. The Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul will be led by Defense Minister Oumerov and is mandated to discuss a truce, according to Zelensky.
For his part, the head of the Russian delegation sent to the Istanbul peace talks with the Ukrainians, Vladimir Medinski, stated Thursday that he was ready for "possible compromises" and to "discuss" them with Kyiv's representatives.
"We are ready to work, to resume the Istanbul negotiations. We are prepared to make possible compromises and to discuss them," said Medinski on Russian television.
Furthermore, discussions between the Ukrainian president and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara have concluded, as observed by an AFP journalist, in anticipation of possible Ukrainian-Russian talks expected in Istanbul.
"The meeting with Erdogan is over," confirmed Mr. Zelensky's spokesperson, Serguiï Nykyforov, to the press. A senior Ukrainian official noted that this meeting lasted between three and four hours, "in various formats," and was "good." AFP observed Zelensky leaving the discussion venue.