An American delegation has arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, where potential negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are expected, and a technical delegation from Russia is also there. This was stated by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a press conference on Thursday following an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya, reports UNN.
Details
"On our agenda, we (NATO ministers - ed.) are also discussing efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, and we are focusing on this much more, as Turkey supports the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine," Fidan said.
He recalled that Turkey has stated since the beginning of the war that a lasting and fair peace can only be achieved through negotiations.
"And we have stated that we are ready to host these negotiations. Today, the President of Ukraine, Mr. Zelenskyy, is in Ankara with our President... A technical delegation from Russia is in Istanbul. And an American delegation has also arrived in Istanbul. US Secretary of State Rubio is here with us in Antalya, and I will meet with him after the press conference. These visits show that the will for peace is there. It is ready to manifest itself," Fidan said.
Addition
President of Ukraine Zelenskyy arrived in the capital of Turkey Ankara. The Ukrainian delegation is also in Turkey.
Zelenskyy said on May 11 that he expects a ceasefire from Russia and that he will personally wait for Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15. But he said that he would not negotiate with any representative of Russia except Putin himself.
On the night of May 15, the Kremlin announced the participants of the Russian delegation to the negotiations in Turkey, but the level was even lower than expected, when the media reported that the meeting may be attended by the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov.
Zelenskyy called the level of the Russian delegation for negotiations in Istanbul "similar to a dummy", landing in Ankara for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Zelenskyy indicated that the Ukrainian side will think about what to do with the negotiations with the Russian delegation, what steps will be taken after the conversation with Turkish President Erdogan.
The head of the Kremlin Vladimir Putin called for direct negotiations with Ukraine last Sunday, but, as the Kremlin reported, decided not to participate in the negotiations today. Instead, the delegation will be headed by assistant Vladimir Medinsky. The delegation also included Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin and Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Oleksandr Fomin.
Bloomberg noted that the prospects for a breakthrough in peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have become even less certain, due to the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a lower-level delegation to Turkey and will be absent himself.