Russia Before talks with Moscow: Ukraine, USA and Turkey confer
Ahead of the planned direct talks between Ukraine and Russia, representatives of the USA and Turkey have met the Ukrainian delegation for talks in Istanbul.
16.05.2025, 10:19
SDA
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan chaired the meeting, according to the ministry. Direct talks between the Ukrainian and Russian envoys are scheduled to begin at 11.30 a.m. CEST.
These would be the first direct talks between the warring parties since 2022. The talks were originally expected to begin on Thursday, but the two sides ultimately failed to meet despite Turkish mediation. The absence of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin had already put a damper on hopes of significant results from the negotiations on Wednesday.
Russia had said before the talks that it wanted to negotiate without preconditions. However, Moscow has not yet backed down from its maximum demands. From Moscow's perspective, Ukraine should relinquish the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which it has annexed since 2014, and its partially occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, as well as NATO membership.
Above all, Ukraine wants to negotiate a ceasefire. The aim of the talks is to achieve a "just and lasting peace", according to Kiev. The specific directives are subject to secrecy.
The Ukrainian delegation is led by Defense Minister Rustem Umjerow. Putin's advisor Vladimir Medinsky is negotiating on behalf of Russia. The US delegation is led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
