A lower-level delegation from Russia reduces the chances of a breakthrough in negotiations - Bloomberg

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. This was reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.

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According to media reports, leading US and European diplomats will gather in Antalya today. And the main intrigue up to this point remained the likely meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could be the first face-to-face diplomatic conversation between the leaders since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

However, Putin announced yesterday evening that he would send only a delegation of lower-level representatives headed by his aide Vladimir Medinsky to Istanbul for negotiations with Ukraine, which raised doubts about the prospects for any concrete steps to end the war at this week's meetings.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to join US President's Special Representatives Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg in Istanbul on Friday, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said before Putin's statement that he would decide what steps to take as soon as Russia announces who will be present at the talks.

However, it is currently unclear whether US, Ukrainian and Russian officials will meet directly, or whether discussions will take place in turn, as has been the case before.

It is reported that uncertainty about the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has cast a shadow over the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya, which started on Wednesday evening. Negotiations between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and European diplomats may be an opportunity to rally support for Ukraine after the EU's ultimatum demanding that Russia agree to a 30-day ceasefire by May 12.

Trump is not going to Turkey for Ukraine-Russia talks - Reuters 15.05.25, 00:07 • 46210 views

European leaders have said that the US supports coordinated sanctions against Russia if Moscow continues to strike Ukraine. But US President Donald Trump has not publicly supported the proposed ceasefire date, and the deadline has come and gone, with neither side ceasing hostilities.

During talks between US and European officials earlier this week, as previously reported by Bloomberg, the US side did not give a clear answer to the question of whether it was still ready to impose sanctions against Russia if attacks continued, or what it would do if Putin refused to meet with Zelenskyy and end hostilities.

European leaders are expected to urge Trump to follow through on his threat to impose sanctions on Moscow if Putin refuses to meet with Zelenskyy or Russia does not agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire this week, Bloomberg reports.

Against the backdrop of the fact that Putin is now unlikely to attend the talks himself, it is unclear to what extent Europeans and the US will impose additional sanctions against Moscow. 

Trump has called on both sides to meet for talks and has expressed growing dissatisfaction with Moscow over its stalling of talks, including threats of new sanctions. Putin continued to make maximalist demands, including a demand to end all Western military aid to Ukraine.

Read also: Rutte: there is "cautious optimism" amid potential negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, but everything depends on Moscow

According to reports, Medinsky led the Russian negotiators at meetings in Istanbul shortly after the start of the war in February 2022. These negotiations broke down amid mutual accusations regarding the draft protocol of Russian demands, which Putin later claimed were largely accepted by Ukraine. The government in Kyiv has rejected this claim.

Putin's decision to appoint Medinsky as head of the delegation "is a sign of disrespect to Washington. He did this knowing that the US president offered to meet with Putin there.

Recall

Earlier it was reported that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will not participate in the Ukrainian-Russian negotiations in Istanbul on May 15. Instead, the delegation will be headed by aide Vladimir Medinsky. The delegation also included the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia.