Putin Skips Ukraine Talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the upcoming peace negotiations with Ukraine scheduled for May 15, 2025, in Istanbul, according to a late Wednesday announcement from the Kremlin. Instead, he has appointed a team of seasoned negotiators to represent Russia in the talks aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict.

The Russian delegation, led by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and two officials who participated in earlier negotiations in 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Those talks, held in Belarus and Turkey, ultimately collapsed. The Kremlin’s order, published on its website, confirmed the composition of the delegation, which excludes Putin himself.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is set to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday, had previously challenged Putin to attend the talks in person. Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, stated that Putin’s absence would signal Russia’s lack of commitment to peace, urging Western allies to respond with increased military aid and sanctions. Kyiv’s position that Putin’s decision to skip the talks indicates Moscow’s reluctance to pursue a resolution.

The negotiations, if they proceed, will mark the first direct discussions between Russia and Ukraine since March 2022. Putin’s proposal for the talks, made on Sunday, followed Ukraine and its European allies’ call for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, which Russia rejected. The Kremlin’s decision to send a delegation without Putin has heightened tensions, with Kyiv emphasizing that his absence undermines the prospects for meaningful dialogue.