Russia pushes for direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul - without US
Photo: Michael Anton, Director of the Secretary's Policy Planning Staff (Getty Images)
The Russian delegation is opposed to the American side being present during the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul, informs Interfax.
According to the source, at the beginning of the meeting, after the greetings, the Turkish representative will leave the negotiation room.
The Russian delegation is also opposed to the presence of American representatives in direct negotiations with Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the BBC reports that the American side will likely meet with the Russian delegation ahead of the negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.
“My understanding is now that the US official Michael Anton – a senior aide to Rubio - will not be in the Russia-Ukraine-Turkey meeting at lunchtime. He will meet Medinsky from the Russian delegation, separately, first,” explained the BBC correspondent.
Ukraine-Russia talks in Türkiye
Recently, Russian president Vladimir Putin proposed to resume peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15. However, he did not agree to the Western initiative for a 30-day ceasefire.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in turn, stated that he was ready for a personal meeting, but this did not happen – Russia sent a delegation instead.
Negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow were initially planned for May 15 but were later postponed to May 16.
According to media reports, a trilateral meeting involving Ukraine, the US, and Türkiye is expected to take place in Istanbul today, and after that, negotiations in the Ukraine-Russia-Türkiye format will follow.
More details about the negotiations in Istanbul can be found in the RBC-Ukraine article.
