Ukraine and Russia begin talks in Istanbul
Photo: Ukraine and Russia began talks in Istanbul (Getty Images)
The Ukrainian and Russian delegations have started negotiations. Representatives from Türkiye were also present at the beginning of the meeting, the Ukrainian news agency Suspilne reports.
The Russian delegation includes:
- Vladimir Medinsky - Putin's Aide (Head of the delegation);
- Mikhail Galuzin - Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs;
- Igor Kostyukov - Director of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff;
- Alexander Fomin – Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia.
Members of the Ukrainian delegation, headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, include:
- Serhii Kyslytsia - First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine;
- Oleksandr Poklad - Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine;
- Oleh Luhovskyi - First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine;
- Oleksii Shevchenko - Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- Vadym Skibitskyi - Deputy Chief of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine;
- Yevhen Shynkariov - Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- Oleksandr Diakov - Deputy Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- Oleksii Malovatskyi - Head of the Department of International and Operational Law of the Central Legal Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- Oleksandr Sherikhov - Senior Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- Heorhii Kuzmychov - Protocol Officer of the Office for Support of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- Oleksandr Bevz - Adviser to the Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine.
According to RBC-Ukraine sources, the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are likely taking place without intermediaries, as the Russian side objected to the presence of representatives from the United States and Türkiye.
Ukraine-Russia negotiations in Türkiye
Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed resuming negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15 but rejected the West's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed readiness for a personal meeting, but Russia only sent its delegation to the talks.
Initially, the negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow were scheduled for May 15 but were postponed to the following day, May 16.
Today in Istanbul, a meeting in the Ukraine-USA-Türkiye format was held first, followed by planned negotiations involving Ukraine and Russia. To get more details, read our material on the topic.
