Talks between Ukraine, Türkiye and Russia start in Istanbul

Talks between representatives of Ukraine, Türkiye and Russia have begun in Istanbul, Türkiye.

According to Turkish state-owned news agency Anadolu, representatives of Türkiye sit in the centre, with the Ukrainian delegation (12 people led by Defence Minister Rustem Umierov) on one side of the host country and the Russian delegation (11 people led by Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky) on the other. As seen in the photo, the tables are arranged in a U-shape.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Türkiye was pleased to see the delegations of Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul.

"We must seize this opportunity to make progress on the path to peace," Fidan said.

However, Russian propagandists say Fidan stressed that representatives of Moscow and Kyiv must decide whether to come to peace or "continue the destructive conflict".

Fidan added that the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul are important for preparing a possible meeting between the leaders of these countries.

It is noted that the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul are held without the press. 

A BBC cameraman who was present in the room at the start of the talks reported that there was no handshake between the parties.

The Ukrainian delegation is headed by Defence Minister Rustem Umierov. Before the meeting, he wrote that peace is only possible "if Russia demonstrates readiness for concrete actions – including a full ceasefire for at least 30 days and humanitarian steps such as the return of forcibly deported Ukrainian children and prisoner exchanges under the ‘all for all’ formula".

Russia has sent a low-level delegation led by Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky to the talks in Türkiye.

On Thursday 16 May, US President Donald Trump stated that a peaceful settlement of Russia’s war against Ukraine cannot happen without his meeting with the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.