'Slap in the face' — Estonia blasts Russia's low-level peace delegation in Istanbul

Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to send junior aides for peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul is like a "slap in the face," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on May 15.

The comments come as Russian and Ukrainian officials are expected to hold talks in Istanbul on May 15. This would be the first direct negotiations between the two parties since unsuccessful peace talks in 2022.

After rejecting a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and its partners, Moscow instead proposed holding negotiations with Ukraine in Turkey this week. However, Russia has seemingly declined an offer by President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face.

The Russian delegation is also void of other senior officials, like Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and will be led by Putin's aide, Vladimir Medinsky, who headed the failed talks with Ukraine in 2022.

The step has drawn criticism from Ukraine's allies as NATO foreign ministers are gathered for a summit in Antalya in Turkey.

Latvia's chief diplomat, Baiba Braze, commented that there are no indications that Russia seeks peace in Ukraine.

A source close to the Presidential Office told the Kyiv Independent that Zelensky has yet to decide whether to meet Russian representatives despite Putin's absence. Some media reported that Ukraine intends to hold the meeting anyway in order to discuss the 30-day ceasefire.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has pledged to broker a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv, spoke more optimistically about the meeting and suggested he might join on May 16 if progress is made.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, were said to join the discussions on May 16.