A Turkish Foreign Ministry source cited by the German news agency dpa said talks between Ukrainian and Russian diplomats are set to occur in Istanbul today, DW News reported.
Kyiv: According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a Ukrainian delegation will attend negotiations with Russia in Istanbul, primarily to work toward a ceasefire. According to him, military and intelligence personnel will be part of the Istanbul mission, which will be headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. According to a Turkish Foreign Ministry source cited by the German news agency dpa, DW News reports that talks between Russian and Ukrainian diplomats are set to begin in Istanbul today.
“I want to sincerely thank President @RTErdogan, his team, and the people of Turkiye for their support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X. During our meeting today, President Erdogan reiterated his support for Ukraine and his recognition of Crimea as a part of Ukraine. The Head of the Office of the President, the Minister of Defense, the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Chief of the General Staff, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and representatives from all of our intelligence services were among the members of our delegation, and we showed their strength and seriousness.”
“We were welcomed by Turkiye with a delegation of equal standing—at the highest level,” I would like to emphasize. Regretfully, it became evident that the Russian delegation is not taking genuine negotiations seriously after discovering their makeup,” the post continued. Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is moving forward with the negotiations out of respect for US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, even if he expressed doubts about Russia’s commitment to the talks.
Nevertheless, Zelenskyy stated, “out of respect for President Trump, the high-level delegations in Turkiye, and President Erdogan, and out of a sincere desire to take at least the first steps toward de-escalation and ending the war, beginning with a ceasefire, despite the extremely low level of the Russian delegation.” I have made the decision to send a delegation from Ukraine to Istanbul. Not every member of our delegation is going; the Chief of Staff and the Head of the Security Service will not be there. Rustem Umerov, the Ukrainian minister of defense, will lead the country’s delegation in Istanbul. Intelligence officers and military personnel will accompany him.
Russia is not treating the negotiations seriously, Zelenskyy added, and “does not genuinely want to end the war.” Regarding the agenda, our delegation has a clear mandate: the ceasefire should be the first priority. I continue to believe that Russia has no real interest in ending the war and is not sincere about these meetings. However, Zelenskyy stated, “We’ll see if they are willing to show at least something during the discussions.”