Negotiations with the Russians in Istanbul: what is known as of 11:00 16 May 2025
Kyiv • UNN
A trilateral meeting between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey is scheduled for 12:30.
The negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, with the participation of representatives from Turkey and the United States, scheduled for Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul, have been postponed to Friday, as the delegation from the aggressor state did not meet the expected level of negotiations. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decided to hold the negotiations, replacing the main composition of the Ukrainian side. The UNN correspondent reports on what is known about this situation and what are the expectations from the negotiations.
"Dummy delegation" of Russians
As expected, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin decided not to participate in the Ukrainian-Russian negotiations in Istanbul on May 15. Instead, the delegation was headed by his 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 Alexander Fomin.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to these actions of Russia, calling the level of the delegation of the aggressor state similar to a dummy one. He stated that he would make a decision on Ukraine's further participation in the negotiations after consulting with Turkish leader Rajep Tayyip Erdogan.
The level of the Russians is not yet officially known to me, but from what we see, it looks more like a dummy level. We will think about what we will do, what our steps will be after the conversation with Erdogan
After consulting with Erdogan, Zelenskyy decided to send a Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul to meet with the Russian one. This was done in order to try to achieve the first steps in de-escalation. At the same time, the Ukrainian delegation was reformatted for a new level of negotiations. It was headed by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov.
Will the negotiations take place
Zelenskyy also assured partners that Ukraine is interested in constructive participation in peace talks, which are to be held in Istanbul with the participation of the United States, Turkey and Russia.
"Ukraine is interested. We agreed with President Erdogan that our group, the Turkish group, will be present. We will definitely hold a meeting with the American, Turkish and Ukrainian groups. Such a meeting will take place. We will definitely hold a meeting in the format with the Russian side. I hope that this meeting will still happen. And so that it is not just a "show", but a meeting time will still appear", - said Zelenskyy.
For his part, Medinsky, who heads the Russian delegation to the negotiations with Ukraine, said that they would wait for representatives of Ukraine in Istanbul from the morning of Friday, May 16.
"The Russian delegation will wait for the Ukrainian delegation from 10 am", - said Medinsky.
So, Ukraine and Russia are ready to at least try to talk. Representatives of Turkey and the United States will also be present. As of now, negotiations are expected at 12:30. Whether they will contribute to at least a temporary suspension of the war is an open question.
