(Updated: )
Editor's note: The article was updated with statements from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and from a source close to the Ukrainian Presidential Office.
A plane with the Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul ahead of planned peace talks with Ukraine, pro-state news agency Interfax reported on May 15, citing sources in aviation services.
Russia proposed to launch direct negotiations with Ukraine this week in lieu of an unconditional ceasefire proposed by Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately agreed to attend and invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to an in-person meeting in Istanbul on May 15.
The Russian leader seemingly declined to join himself and appointed his aide, Vladimir Medinsky, to lead the talks. When asked by the Kyiv Independent, a source close to the Presidential Office did not confirm whether Ukraine would still hold the talks if Putin does not join.
Ukraine's Presidential Office has previously said that Zelensky would not meet lower-level Russian officials if Putin refuses to come, making the format of the expected talks uncertain.
The Ukrainian president is first set to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and will then decide on the next step regarding possible talks with Russia, the source noted.
The Russian delegation will also consist of Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Military Intelligence Director Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
The delegation's list is notably void of Putin himself and other Kremlin top politicians, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, was also absent from the list.
Putin held a preparatory meeting on the evening of May 14 with the Russian delegates, Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belusov, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, and chiefs of military and security forces, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS.
"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," Zelensky said on the evening of May 14.
Initially, TASS reported that the meeting would start at around 10 a.m., a claim refuted by Ukraine. The Russian state media later reported that the talks are likely to begin in the second half of the day.
U.S. President Donald Trump initially voiced optimism about the prospects of a Zelensky-Putin meeting and suggested he might attend as well. However, a White House official on May 14 said that Trump will not attend the peace talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Turkey on May 14 and met with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Antalya. Sybiha also met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Istanbul with Rubio on May 16 to participate in discussions on Ukraine.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn
