Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend Thursday’s direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, opting instead to send a lower-level delegation. The meeting would mark the first face-to-face negotiations between the two nations since March 2022.
Putin’s decision also sidesteps a proposed trilateral summit with President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which Trump had been pushing as part of a “30-day unconditional ceasefire” plan. Zelensky agreed to Trump’s ceasefire conditions and said he is ready for diplomacy.
Trump, who is currently on a Middle East tour, had considered attending the summit himself but now plans to send Secretary of State Marco Rubio along with envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg. Putin’s delegation will be led by adviser Vladimir Medinsky and include top Russian military and foreign affairs officials.
Zelensky is expected to meet Turkish President Erdoğan in Ankara ahead of the Istanbul talks. The makeup of Ukraine’s negotiation team has not been confirmed.
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