FLASH NEWS
Tass news agency: Russia-Ukraine talks to begin on Thursday
2025-05-15 21:17:29 / BOTA
Negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul will begin on May 16.
This was reported by the official Russian news agency Tass, citing a source close to the organization of the talks.
"Yes, on May 16," the source said of the start of talks.
Russian state news agency Tass reported earlier on Thursday that the talks were scheduled to begin in Istanbul at 10 a.m. local time, a report that was dismissed by the Ukrainians as "fake news."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova later said the meeting had been postponed until the afternoon — a statement disputed by the organizers, the Turkish government, which said no talks were officially scheduled and therefore could not have been postponed. As of early evening local time, no talks had yet begun.
Long-awaited talks between Russia and Ukraine – two countries locked in a bloody conflict for more than a decade – could still take place in Turkey on Thursday, even though Russian President Vladimir Putin chose not to attend the summit.
The Kremlin announced on Thursday that Putin will not travel to Turkey after days of speculation that he might show up for a meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine are currently in Turkey, although there has been no official confirmation when or if they will meet.
The Russian delegation is headed by Vladimir Medinsky, Putin's top aide and a hardliner who led the Russian side during the last known direct talks between the two countries in the spring of 2022.
The composition of that Russian team was mocked by Zelensky. “After we learned the composition of the Russian delegation, it became clear that they are not seriously approaching real talks,” the Ukrainian president said. “So far, we do not see any real decision-makers among those who arrived.”
But Zelensky said that, “out of respect” for U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he would send a high-ranking team. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha leads the Ukrainian group; Zelensky, who was in the Turkish capital Ankara to meet with Erdogan earlier Thursday, did not travel to Istanbul for the talks.
Several senior US officials are also in Turkey. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the coastal city of Antalya on Wednesday to attend an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers there.
Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, and his foreign envoy Steve Witkoff plan to be in Istanbul for the talks, a senior Trump administration official said Tuesday, a statement confirmed by another source familiar with the plans.
Trump gives his opinion: The US president, who asked Zelensky to meet with Putin after the Russian leader suggested talks, told reporters on Thursday that when it comes to peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, "nothing will happen until" he meets with Putin.
Putin called for direct talks over the weekend after rejecting a call from Kiev to its allies for a 30-day ceasefire. Zelensky quickly said he was ready to meet, adding later that he would not meet with any other Russian official besides Putin.
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