RUSSIAN and Ukrainian delegations are expected to meet in Istanbul this Thursday in what could be the first direct talks between the two sides since March 2022, in a renewed diplomatic push reportedly initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, the Kremlin delegation will again be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. As in the 2022 talks held at the Dolmabahce Palace, Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin is set to join the Russian negotiating team, along with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, who handles issues concerning the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
While Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko was previously involved, he now holds a different regional portfolio. Chief of the Russian General Staff’s Main Intelligence Directorate, Igor Kostyukov, will be one of four senior negotiators representing Moscow.
Russia will also be sending a team of technical and diplomatic experts including Alexander Zorin, Deputy Chief of Information at the General Staff; Yelena Podobreyevskaya, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office for State Humanitarian Policy; Alexey Polishchuk, Director of the CIS Second Department at the Foreign Ministry; and Viktor Shevtsov, Deputy Head of the Defence Ministry’s Directorate for International Military Cooperation.
United States officials are also expected to be in Türkiye during the talks. Former President Donald Trump previously stated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials would travel to Istanbul for discussions on Ukraine.
A White House spokesperson confirmed that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg would attend. Trump has not ruled out the possibility of joining the talks himself if it would “benefit the negotiations”.
Details of the agenda remain scarce, a common feature of high-stakes diplomatic engagements. However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has indicated that the Istanbul meeting will focus on achieving a “sustainable resolution” to the conflict and will address on-the-ground realities, including territorial issues.
“It is still too early to make predictions,” Ryabkov said, stressing that much would depend on the stance of Kyiv’s Western backers.
Rodion Miroshnik, Special Envoy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said the draft document negotiated by both sides in Istanbul in 2022 could serve as a potential basis for renewed peace efforts, provided it is adapted to reflect developments over the past three years. - May 15, 2025
