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SBU chief, defense minister join Zelensky in Turkey for potential peace talks

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SBU chief, defense minister join Zelensky in Turkey for potential peace talks
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on May 15, 2025. (TUR Presidency/Mustafa Kamaci/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Chief Vasyl Malyuk, and General Staff Chief Andrii Hnatov are among those accompanying President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey ahead of potential peace talks with Russia on May 15, videos released by the Ukrainian media revealed.

In addition, Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha joined Zelensky for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

A Russian delegation has also arrived to meet with Ukrainian representatives for peace talks in Istanbul — without Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has rejected Ukraine's invitation for an in-person meeting of the two leaders, appointing presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky to lead the Russian delegation.

Zelensky is expected to decide on his next steps regarding peace talks with Russia after meeting with Erdogan.

"We need to understand what the level of the Russian delegation is, what their mandate is, and whether they are capable of making decisions on their own," he said after arriving in Ankara.

"Because we all know who makes decisions in Russia," he added, saying Moscow appears to have sent a "sham" delegation.

The ceasefire is reportedly the only topic that the Ukrainian side was open to discussing with Russia in Turkey.

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Kateryna Denisova

Politics Reporter

Kateryna Denisova is the reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in Ukrainian politics. Based in Kyiv, she focuses on domestic affairs, parliament, and social issues. Denisova began her career in journalism in 2020 and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She also studied at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.

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