Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
A captive named Umit allegedly agreed to serve in the Russian army in exchange for Russian citizenship and a monetary reward of 2 million rubles ($25,000).
Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, at Munich Security Conference 2024 on February 17, 2024. (Olena Zashko / The Kyiv Independent)
The second global peace summit for Ukraine will be held in a country from the so-called Global South, probably in the Middle East, in an effort to portray the "world's unity" amid Russia's ongoing invasion, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak told Bloomberg in an interview published Aug. 1.
Ukraine held its first global peace summit in Switzerland that culminated with 87 countries and international institutions signing the peace summit communique.
Among other things, the communique called upon Russia to return the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant under full control of Ukraine, ensure uninterrupted manufacturing and supply of food products in Ukraine, secure full access to sea ports in the Black and Azov Seas, release all prisoners of war and return all deported Ukrainian children.
The countries notably absent from the list of signatories include India, Armenia, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Indonesia, Bahrain, Colombia, South Africa, Thailand, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates.
Although a specific location for the next peace summit has not yet been announced, Yermak's comments mark the first time Ukraine has publicly indicated where it hopes to hold the next peace summit.
No timeline currently exists for the next summit, however, sources within Ukraine's government have said that the country is planning to convene a second peace summit before the U.S. presidential election in November 2024.
Despite Russia not receiving an invite to the first global peace summit in June, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 31 that Russia must be present at a second peace summit in November in order to end the war.
"I believe – as do most countries – that at the second peace summit in November, Russian representatives must be present, otherwise we won't achieve viable results," Zelensky said. "If the whole world wants them at the (negotiating) table, then we can't be against it."
During his interview with Bloomberg, Yermak echoed the sentiments posed by Zelensky, stating that "the most important expectation for the second summit is for it to shape major prerequisites for stopping the hostilities."
"We need to end this war as soon as possible to get a just peace," Yermak added.
Russia has previously said it will not attend a second peace summit.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
