- Russia and Ukraine are expected to hold rare direct talks in Turkiye on Thursday aimed at ending the war, but President Vladimir Putin, who proposed the meeting, will not attend.
- European powers have criticised Moscow for sending a “low-level” delegation.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had pressed Putin to attend in person, landed in Turkiye to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
- The Russian side will be headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin and ex-culture minister, who was involved in short-lived 2022 negotiations.
- US President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, are reportedly travelling to Istanbul for the negotiations. Trump says he would consider travelling to Istanbul should the talks progress.
Zelenskyy slams Russia’s ‘disrespect’, says strong response needed
Ukraine’s president has said Russia’s decision to send a delegation of low-level representatives for talks in Turkiye was a “sign of disrespect”.
“Russia once again demonstrated that it does not intend to end the war,” Zelenskyy said on X. “We expect a clear and strong response from partners.”
Turkiye says Ukraine-Russia talks provide ‘reasons for hope’
Turkiye’s top diplomat says there is cause for hope before the expected talks between Russian and Ukrainian mediators in what could be their first direct talks in more than three years.
“If the parties’ positions are harmonised and trust is established, a very important step towards peace will have been taken. We have enough reasons to be hopeful,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at the end of a NATO meeting in the southern Turkish city of Antalya.
‘It is probably going to be technical talks between the two delegations
I am standing right in front of the Ukrainian embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, where Zelenskyy is addressing members of the foreign media.
He said that since Russian President Vladimir Putin is not coming, there is no need for him to be in the direct talks in Istanbul that are going to take place either late today or tomorrow.
But he chose a delegation that could be in the same equilibrium as the Russian delegation, and he said they didn’t mind taking the first step towards an immediate ceasefire that is necessary for direct peace talks.
This is what Turkish President Erdogan has also been advising his Ukrainian counterpart today during their meeting and the working lunch.
Before that, presidential sources announced that Erdogan would emphasise the importance of an imminent ceasefire and the necessity of direct peace talks.
There won’t be any negotiations, and Zelenskyy underlined that even his delegation has no mandate to decide anything.
So tomorrow, it is probably going to be technical talks between the two delegations.
We are ready for direct negotiations: Zelenskyy
The Ukrainian president says all parties must demonstrate a willingness for negotiations, and that the first step must be the unconditional ceasefire.
If the unconditional ceasefire is possible today without the leaders present, then it’s unnecessary to meet, as there is a first step towards peace, he says.
If there is a signal from Russia that an unconditional ceasefire must be decided during direct talks, we are ready for direct negotiations, he adds.
Russia and Ukraine are under a lot of pressure
We have had a couple of interesting comments coming out of that NATO meeting in Antalya.
Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s foreign minister, says that Russia and Ukraine must compromise on a path towards peace and that Turkiye hopes intensive discussions between the sides will achieve results.
We also have Mark Rutte, NATO secretary-general, saying that Russia is not taking on the opportunity Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been providing by sending a low-level delegation.
Russia and Ukraine are under a lot of pressure, particularly from the US administration, to show that they are serious about some sort of peace talks.
The Trump administration has threatened to abandon its diplomatic role unless progress is made.
We have seen Zelenskyy being leaned on heavily by Washington and the Trump administration in February, culminating in that infamous confrontation in the White House, in the Oval Office, between US Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy.
Now, Trump has been showing more impatience recently with Russian President Vladimir Putin, threatening increased sanctions on the Russians unless they show serious progress towards peace.
Turkiye says Ukraine-Russia talks provide ‘reasons for hope’
Turkiye’s top diplomat says there is cause for hope before the expected talks between Russian and Ukrainian mediators in what could be their first direct talks in more than three years.
“If the parties’ positions are harmonised and trust is established, a very important step towards peace will have been taken. We have enough reasons to be hopeful,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at the end of a NATO meeting in the southern Turkish city of Antalya.
Ukraine to send delegation to Istanbul headed by defence minister: Zelenskyy
Here are some of the key points made by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and translated to the press:
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in their meeting, has reiterated his support for Ukraine and believes Crimea is Ukraine, which is an important “signal” of friendship for Ukraine.
- Turkiye and Ukraine have both provided high-level delegations, but Russia’s delegation indicates they are “not serious”, and there were no decision-makers in their delegation.
- Out of respect for Erdogan and US President Donald Trump, and to try and achieve at least “the first step” to end the war, Zelenskyy said he would still send a delegation to Istanbul headed by the defence minister.
Zelenskyy is now speaking to the press in Turkiye
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now finished his meeting at the presidential complex in Turkiye’s capital, Ankara and is addressing the press.
We will bring you more shortly.
Trump expects little progress towards peace until he meets Putin
US President Donald Trump says, “Nothing’s going to happen until Russian President Vladimir Putin and I get together, OK?”
He made the comment to reporters on board Air Force One just before landing in Dubai on the third stop of his Middle East trip.
Earlier, Trump, who had pressed for Putin and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to meet in Istanbul, brushed off Putin’s absence from the talks.
“I didn’t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters on the third day of his visit to the Middle East.
Kremlin sees talks as a ‘positive step’
Russian officials say they are prepared for the Istanbul negotiations, and that Russia is aiming for a long-lasting solution in this conflict, and it sees the resumption of direct negotiations with Ukraine as a positive step.
Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov also called the events in Istanbul intriguing, and his deputy said the outcome of the talks would depend on the Ukrainian side.
It took quite a while for the Kremlin to finally reveal the names of the Russian delegation to the peace talks in Kyiv today.
Just an hour before midnight, Putin held a meeting in the Kremlin with members of the negotiation group, as well as his top ministers and top military officials briefing them about these talks.
He was the one who proposed these peace talks in Istanbul, causing a lot of hustle and bustle worldwide.
Ukrainians ‘don’t have a lot of optimism’ for Turkiye meetings
They know there are political gains to be made, they know that this is a political chess game that Zelenskyy is playing, but in terms of practical impact on the ground, a path to peace that ends the war, even an interim 30-day ceasefire, there isn’t a great deal of optimism, and perhaps with good reason.
This morning, reports from the military here in Ukraine say that Russia launched an offensive on the Kharkiv region, with Russian soldiers using armoured vehicles and motorcycles.
This morning … Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called Zelenskyy “pathetic” for expecting Putin to attend this meeting.
But there are political gains to be made. Zelenskyy, illustrating with this high-profile top official delegation going to Turkiye, proves to the US under Donald Trump and this White House that Europe and Ukraine are not the problem; it’s Moscow that seems unwilling to go forward with these talks in a meaningful way.
‘Rash to predict whether there will be any meaningful discussion’
According to Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank, the pressure the US has exerted to attempt to bring an end to the fighting in Ukraine has “evolved over time”.
“It appears that the most recent elements in that evolution, particularly in terms of European solidarity with Ukraine, have led Russia to engage in direct talks,” he told Al Jazeera. “It would be rash to predict whether there will be any meaningful discussion at all, since the acceptable outcomes for both are still far apart.
“Russia wants to neutralise Ukraine as an independent sovereign state, while Ukraine wants to survive.”
Giles said direct talks mark “a significant step forward”.
He added: “Anything that has been referred to as peace talks [so far] has not been anything of the sort,” describing two parallel discussions that the US has had with Russia and Ukraine.
Moscow team says seeking ‘long-term peace’ at Ukraine talks
Russia’s top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky says Moscow aims for a “long-term peace” in the first direct peace talks with Ukraine for more than three years.
“The purpose of the direct talks proposed by [Vladimir] Putin is to establish long-term and lasting peace by eliminating the root causes of the conflict,” Vladimir Medinsky, a Putin aide sent to Istanbul as Russia’s top negotiator, wrote on Telegram.
If you’re just joining us
Here’s what you need to know:
- The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to travel to Istanbul, where direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are set to take place.
- Western leaders have criticised Russia’s decision to send a junior delegation to Istanbul, with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna saying it is “like a slap in the face”.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he was not officially informed about who was attending from the Russian side, but that the delegation looks “decorative”.
- Zelenskyy is meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Turkiye’s capital, Ankara, while an informal NATO foreign ministers’ meeting is also taking place in the southern Turkish province of Antalya.
Photos: Zelenskyy meets with Erdogan
‘A waiting game’ in Istanbul
We’ve been standing here with a crowd of about 100 journalists, expecting something to happen. We’re by the gates of the Dolmabahce Palace, where the first Russian-Ukrainian direct negotiations are supposed to take place.
They were supposed to start in the morning. Still, nothing has happened.
The NATO ministers have been saying they want to see what comes out of these negotiations and how it goes. But because nothing’s happening, they can’t draw any conclusions yet.
We’ve heard the Estonian foreign minister say the delegation [excluding top officials] that Russia has sent here to Istanbul is a slap in the face to the Ukrainian side.
The French foreign minister has also complimented the Ukrainian president for showing up in Turkiye, whereas the Russian president is not there, and there’s an empty seat where there should have been a seat for Putin.
Putin currently has no plans to go to Istanbul talks: Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin currently has no plans to travel to Istanbul for peace talks with Ukraine, the Kremlin says, adding that the Russian delegation is there and ready to meet the Ukrainian team.
Asked if Putin would go to Istanbul if US President Donald Trump did, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia did not know yet how the negotiations would go and that the Ukrainian delegation had not yet shown up.
Russia’s position in peace talks reflects new realities on the frontline: Kremlin
Russia’s position on a possible peace deal with Ukraine has changed to reflect changes on the frontlines where Russia has been advancing, says Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
When asked by reporters if Russia’s position had changed since June 2024, when President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine must officially drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia, Zakharova said: “Yes, there are these changes in the Russian position.”
“These changes are reflected by changes on the ground,” she said.
Zakharova quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who in 2024 said that Ukraine shrank in territory every time it walked away from talks with Russia.
On possible talks in Istanbul, Zakharova said: “As for the Ukrainian side: How ready is it? What is it ready for? I think, this will be shown, including today in Istanbul.”
‘A waiting game’ in Istanbul
We’ve been standing here with a crowd of around a hundred journalists, expecting something to happen. We’re by the gates of the Dolmabahce Palace, where the first Russian-Ukrainian direct negotiations are supposed to take place.
It was supposed to start in the morning. Still, nothing has happened.
The NATO ministers have been saying they want to see what comes out of these negotiations and how it goes. But because nothing’s happening, they can’t make any conclusions yet.
We’ve heard the Estonian foreign minister say that the delegation [excluding top officials] that Russia has sent here to Istanbul is a slap in the face to the Ukrainian side.
The French foreign minister has also complimented the Ukrainian president for showing up in Turkiye, whereas the Russian president is not there, and there’s an empty seat where there should have been a seat for Putin.
Meeting between Zelenskyy and Turkey’s Erdogan has begun
The two presidents are expected to have one-on-one and inter-delegation meetings in the presidential complex in Ankara.
It’s a high-stakes visit, especially for the Ukrainian side.
Zelenskyy, as soon as he arrived at the airport in the capital Ankara, announced that he would decide on some things after his meetings with Erdogan.
I’m in front of the Ukrainian embassy in the capital, Ankara, and following his meeting with Erdogan, we expect Zelenskyy to come here and hold a press conference with the foreign media.
Zelenskyy said he would not be meeting the Russian delegation unless he was sure that this group of people representing Russia would be eligible to make decisions.
He might directly return to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, or fly to Istanbul.
There are so many rumours right now, but everything will be more concrete after we hear from Zelenskyy following his meeting with his Turkish counterpart.
Russia grabs a bit more of Ukraine as it heads into peace talks
Russian forces made creeping advances through Ukraine’s east this week, as the two countries prepared to hold their first direct talks in three years on Thursday.
Russian forces captured the settlement of Kotlyarivka, southwest of the embattled area of Pokrovsk, on Monday, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said.
On Wednesday, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its forces took the community of Mykhailovka, also in Donetsk.
Read our weekly roundup of the conflict here.
Russian rouble steady amid news of Ukraine-Russia talks
“Markets are relatively calm amid expectations of peace talks. The rouble continues to receive support from low demand for foreign currency by importers and high interest rates,” says Maxim Timoshenko from Russian Standard bank.
The Russian currency has risen by more than 40 percent against the dollar this year.
The rouble has surprised analysts in recent weeks, maintaining strength despite low prices for oil, Russia’s main export.
Analysts suggest that hopes for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, as well as slow imports, are contributing to the currency’s strength.
Photos: NATO’s informal meeting of foreign ministers in Antalya
Here are some photos from a NATO summit in Antalya, Turkiye.
Two other meetings are taking place today. In Ankara, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy will meet Turkish President Erdogan, while direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations will take place in Istanbul.
Western leaders criticise Russia for sending low-level delegation
Presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky heads Russia’s delegation, which includes a deputy defence minister, a deputy foreign minister, and the head of the GRU military intelligence agency.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Zelenskyy had shown good faith by travelling to Turkiye, but there was an “empty chair” where Russian President Vladimir Putin should be sitting.
“Putin is stalling and clearly has no desire to enter these peace negotiations, even when President Trump expressed his availability and his desire to facilitate these negotiations,” he said.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Putin’s dispatching of a low-level delegation to Turkiye for talks regarding the war in Ukraine was “like a slap in the face”.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who is in Antalya, said that Zelenskyy has shown “readiness for that peace” by travelling to Turkey but criticised Russia for sending “low-level individuals”.
Inside the mind of Vladimir Putin
When Russian President Vladimir Putin was growing up in a dilapidated apartment block in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, he and his friends would chase rats through the corridors with sticks. One day, a huge rat he’d cornered suddenly turned on the young Vladimir and chased him back to his quarters.
“I got a quick and lasting lesson in the meaning of the word cornered,” Putin recalled in a 2000 interview.
As the tale has been retold and analysed over the years, a consensus has emerged among Kremlin watchers: Putin identifies with the cornered rat, forced to lash out when he believes his survival is at stake.
You can read more about the Russian president’s life and what comes next after 25 years in power here.
Trump plays down Putin no-show
President Donald Trump said he was not surprised that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a no-show for the talks.
“I didn’t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters as he took part in a business roundtable with executives in Qatar on the third day of his visit to the Middle East. “Why would he go if I’m not going?”
But he added, “You know, if something happened, I’d go on Friday if it was appropriate.
“We can help the world psychologically. So we think we’re going to do well with Russia/Ukraine,” he said.
Russian delegation appears ‘decorative’: Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he was not officially informed about who was attending from the Russian side, but it looks “decorative”.
He also says Ukraine is in touch with the US delegation regarding the talks with Russia.
Russia ready for ‘serious’ talks with Ukraine, says Foreign Ministry
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made the comments a day after Putin held a meeting with senior government officials and members of a Russian delegation in preparation for today’s talks.
Turkiye hosts critical diplomatic talks across Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya
There’s a lot going on diplomatically in Turkiye today.
In Antalya, there is an informal NATO foreign ministers’ meeting happening right now. In Ankara, President Zelenskyy is due to meet with President Erdogan.
And here in Istanbul, we are standing right by the Dolmabahce Palace where there is expected to be some level of direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations for the first time in three years.
Now, what’s been coming up in Antalya so far is that there are two items on the agenda. There will be a closed-door trilateral meeting involving the American, Turkish and Syrian delegations to discuss the political landscape of Syria following Washington’s decision to lift sanctions, and of course, discussing the situation with Ukraine.
A lot has been on standby diplomatically. They are discussing the extent of aid that can be provided to Ukraine and potential sanctions against Russia if no progress is achieved in these talks over this week.
Turkiye hopes Istanbul talks will open new chapter for Ukraine-Russia peace
Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says there is a new window of opportunity to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia, adding that he hopes planned talks will open a new chapter.
Fidan was speaking at the opening of an informal NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in the southern Turkish province of Antalya.
US, Europe readying sanctions on Russia’s energy, financial sectors: French FM
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has revealed that the US and Europe are preparing further sanctions on Russia’s energy and financial sectors.
Barrot’s comment, reported ahead of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkiye’s Antalya coastal city on Thursday, comes as Russia’s President Putin chose not to attend much-anticipated talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul with a Russian delegation on ending the war in Ukraine.