Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the capital of Turkey, Ankara, on May 15, where talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan are scheduled. According to the Ukrainian president, the outcome of the meeting will determine Ukraine’s further course in negotiations with Russia.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Zelensky noted that the Ukrainian side will begin with a broad meeting with Erdogan accompanied by a delegation that includes representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, military personnel, intelligence agents, and the president’s office. He added that contacts with the American side are ongoing, and it is possible that U.S. representatives will also participate in the events. However, the level of the Russian delegation remains unknown at this time, and according to Zelensky, there are many assumptions regarding their status.
Negotiations and Their Format
The president emphasized the importance of clarifying what mandate the Russian delegation has and whether they can make independent decisions, as he stated, “in Russia, decisions are made by a certain group of people.” Zelensky expressed gratitude to the Turkish president for organizing the meeting and the opportunity for direct negotiations. He stressed that the Ukrainian delegation is of the highest level: representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the president’s office, military, and intelligence.
“As for the high-level meetings, we will start with a meeting with President Erdogan, with a broad Turkish delegation. We are in contact with the American side, and they will also, I think, be in Turkey at a high level. We will see, but the level of the Russians is still officially unknown to me. But from what we see, it looks more like a theatrical level. We will think about what we will do, what our steps will be, after talking with President Erdogan. I believe we will have a few hours for an important conversation, very important decisions.”
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the negotiations in Istanbul were postponed to the afternoon of May 15 at the initiative of the Turkish side. Earlier, Russian media reported that the meeting was supposedly scheduled for 10:00, but this information was denied by Ukrainian officials, who refuted any planned time for the negotiations. Russian media quoted Dmitry Peskov, who expressed negative views regarding the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s presence at the negotiations.
On-site in Istanbul near the Dolmabahçe Palace, hundreds of journalists gathered early in the morning, awaiting the start of the negotiations. Zelensky had previously emphasized the necessity of Putin’s participation in the talks and was willing to meet with him personally. However, the Kremlin initially did not confirm this possibility and later announced that the delegation would not include Putin.
Regarding the possibility of participation by other world leaders in the negotiations, including U.S. President Donald Trump, he expressed readiness to come depending on the progress of the talks. Currently, exact details regarding his possible arrival remain unknown.