Volodymyr Zelensky will send a Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul for negotiations with representatives of the Russian Federation. It will be headed by Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
The President of Ukraine said this at a briefing.
"Out of respect for Trump and Erdogan and in an attempt to achieve at least the first steps to end the war, I decided to send a delegation to Istanbul, led by Rustem Umerov," Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Not all Ukrainian representatives who arrived in Turkey will go to the talks with Russia in Istanbul. The Ukrainian delegation, which includes the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Rustem Umerov, military and intelligence officers, will have a mandate for ceasefire negotiations.
Umerov is fluent in Turkish, Ukrainian, English, and Russian. This is important given that the meeting is to be in the format of a Turkish, American, Russian, and Ukrainian presence.
"We are waiting for signals from the Turkish and American sides as to when exactly the conversation with the Russian side will take place," the president noted and added that the Ukrainian delegation will be in Istanbul not only on May 15, but also on May 16. Now they are waiting for signals as to when and at what time the meeting will take place.
In Turkey, Ukraine is represented at the highest level: Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, Head of the Special Operations Command Andriy Yermak, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Malyuk, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov, representatives of all intelligence services of Ukraine. Zelensky stressed that such a high-level representation shows that Ukraine really wants a ceasefire. Turkey met the Ukrainian delegation at the highest level.
At the same time, the president stressed that he does not yet see anyone among the Russian delegation who can really make decisions. The Russian delegation is represented at a low level. Zelensky says that Russia still wants to continue the war and does not take these meetings seriously.
Zelensky stressed that he remains ready for direct negotiations with Putin.
"All sides must demonstrate readiness for negotiations. The first step is a ceasefire. If it can be done at the level of technical groups, no questions asked. If there is a signal that an unconditional ceasefire depends on direct negotiations between the leaders, I am here," the president said.
If Russia does not show real readiness to end the war, Ukraine will ask the US and the European Union to impose tough sanctions.
Negotiations in Turkey
Volodymyr Zelensky reported on May 10 that a full ceasefire with the Russian Federation should begin on May 12 for at least 30 days. According to him, the ceasefire should be comprehensive, that is, in the air, at sea, and on land, and monitoring can be provided together with the United States.
On the night of May 11, Putin proposed resuming direct talks between Ukraine and Russia, without mentioning the 30-day ceasefire that was supposed to come into effect on May 12. Zelensky responded that he would personally wait for Putin in Turkey if Russia ceased fire. However, Putin did not arrive in Turkey.
The Russian delegation will be led by Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky. He was the head of the Russian negotiating team in 2022, when the Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Istanbul.
It also included Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia. Igor Kostyukov, Chief of the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff, and Alexander Fomin, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation. At the same time, The Washington Post, citing a former high-ranking Kremlin official, wrote that Russia will be represented at the negotiations in Turkey by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putinʼs foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov. That is, the level of the Russian delegation in Istanbul has been lowered.
The Americans will be represented in Turkey by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg.
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