Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been listed by the Kremlin as attending the peace talks on the war in Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday, despite calls from Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky for his presence.
Instead, Russia’s delegation will be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, according to the Kremlin statement.
Zelensky had previously stated he would attend the talks and meet Putin in person if the Russian president agreed, emphasizing his commitment to a face-to-face meeting.
The Ukrainian president will be in Turkey’s capital Ankara on Thursday to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Putin and Zelensky have not met in person since December 2019. Russia and Ukraine last held direct negotiations in March 2022 in Istanbul, shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Fighting has continued in Ukraine ever since. Russian forces have gradually expanded their control over territory in Ukraine, primarily in the eastern region.
Putin had initially suggested direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey’s largest city “without pre-conditions”, before Zelensky announced his willingness to attend and expected the Russian president to do the same.
Putin’s proposal for direct talks in Istanbul followed Western powers’ call for a 30-day ceasefire after European leaders met in Kyiv.
After Trump urged Ukraine to accept the offer on Sunday, Zelensky announced he would travel to Turkey personally, stating that he would be waiting for Putin on Thursday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of joining the meeting himself if Putin attended.
The US president, who is currently in Qatar, mentioned that he did not know if his Russian counterpart would attend “if I’m not there”.
The US is expected to send a high-level delegation to the talks, led by Marco Rubio, who arrived in Turkey on Wednesday to meet Nato foreign ministers.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met Marco Rubio on Wednesday evening to reaffirm Ukraine’s commitment to US peace efforts and urge Russia to reciprocate.
Rubio plans to travel to Istanbul on Friday to attend talks with European counterparts to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Upon arriving in Antalya, Marco Rubio did not respond to the BBC’s question regarding Putin’s potential attendance in Turkey.
Since returning to the White House, President Trump has sought to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump ended a long-standing Western boycott of Russia’s leader by speaking to Putin over the phone in February, and his envoy Steve Witcoff has previously met Vladimir Putin for talks in Moscow.
Trump has indicated that Russia and Ukraine were “very close to a deal”.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday when Putin proposed the direct talks, stating it could be “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!”
