A potentially momentous day is expected tomorrow, and while a lot of uncertainty involves the Istanbul peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine – and potentially mediated by the United States – so far, the event hasn’t been cancelled, and all three nations are gearing up to it.
Both US President Donald J. Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin are not confirmed presences to the negotiations.
Secretary Rubio will be present.
Trump has said more than once that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be there, ‘among others’. It’s been reported that both Envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg would travel to Istanbul.
Reuters reported:
“U.S. officials are hoping Russia will agree to a comprehensive 30-day land, air, sea and critical infrastructure ceasefire, a senior U.S. official said, adding that Kyiv has already agreed to abide by such a deal.”
Envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellog are said to be going to Istanbul.
Kellogg: “We’re hoping President Putin shows up as well, and then President Trump will be there. This could be an absolutely incredible meeting. We can get peace, I really believe, pretty fast if all three leaders sit down and talk.”
“Trump had said on Monday he would fly to Istanbul for the meeting if necessary. He is in the Middle East region this week for meetings with officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.”
Putin wants Trump at the meeting pic.twitter.com/3muvEoACMa
— Karli Bonne’ (@KarluskaP) May 14, 2025
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
BBC reported:
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will travel to Turkey’s capital Ankara to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and will be available for direct talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Istanbul on Thursday.
‘We will do everything to ensure that this meeting takes place,” he told reporters in a hastily-arranged briefing in Kiev’.”
When Putin proposed direct talks in Turkey without pre-conditions, Zelensky decided to one-up him and go in person, accusing Putin of ‘being scared’ to meet him.
“US President Donald Trump, who is on a visit to the Gulf, has hinted that he could fly to Istanbul himself ‘if I think things can happen’.”
Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and top aide Yuri Ushakov.
In a different Reuters report, “U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were still “maybes” for what could be the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years after the Kremlin on Wednesday held off disclosing who would represent Russia.”
“Unconfirmed Russian and U.S. media reports have said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy aide, will be in Istanbul and ready to meet their Ukrainian counterparts.
Asked by reporters in a daily briefing on Wednesday if the Kremlin could reveal the make-up of the Russian delegation, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: ‘We will do that when we get an instruction to do so from the president’.”
UPDATE: Russian sources say that Vladimir Medinsky will head the Russian delegation.
RT reported:
“Putin CONFIRMS delegation for Istanbul talks with Ukraine. Vladimir Medinsky’s leading the team.
He’d been chief negotiator back in 2022, before West shot down those talks.”
Sputkin reported:
“Vladimir Putin approves the lineup of the Russian delegation for the Istanbul talks
President Putin’s aide, Vladimir Medinsky, will lead the Russian delegation in talks with Ukraine, just as he did in 2022. The Russian delegation to the Istanbul negotiations will include Mikhail Galuzin (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs), Igor Kostyukov (Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces), and Alexander Fomin (Deputy Minister of Defense).“
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