Today, direct talks between delegations of Russia and Ukraine are expected to begin in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul to end the war started by Moscow in February 2022, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The talks will be held without the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian president has approved the composition of the Russian delegation, which will be headed by his adviser Vladimir Medinsky. It was Putin who proposed holding these talks during a press conference in the Kremlin in the early hours of Sunday.
US President Donald Trump, who is currently on a tour of the Persian Gulf countries, said that he "may stop by" in Turkey to participate in the talks. However, according to a Reuters source, since Putin will not be present, Trump will also most likely refrain from participating.
Instead, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be in Istanbul and will represent Washington at the talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that he would attend the meeting in person and expressed his readiness to negotiate directly with Putin. However, he stressed that he would only talk with the Russian president, and not with other representatives of the Russian side, DPA recalls.