The U.S. and European authorities convinced President Volodymyr Zelensky to attend impending peace negotiations in Istanbul, even though Russia was uncertain about whom they would be sending as their representative, according to a report from the Washington Post (WP) on May 14, based on information provided by anonymous sources.

The initial face-to-face discussions between Russia and Ukraine since 2022 will be held in Istanbul on May 15, after Russia’s president extended an invitation.


Vladimir Putin


Issued instead of consenting to a 30-day truce. Although Zelensky promptly accepted the invitation, the Kremlin did not respond until late evening on May 14.


reveal its delegation


—and Putin did not appear on the list.

While Russia kept information about its involvement in the discussions vague, Zelensky was ready to withdraw Ukraine from the talks, according to diplomats.


told


the WP on the condition of anonymity.

One diplomat mentioned that Zelensky did not find any value in attending.

European and American authorities, such as the Special Representative,


Steve Witkof


f, reportedly convinced Zelensky that attending the peace talks would reflect positively on Kyiv. He argued that if


Ukraine


attended the talks and Russia didn’t, the Kremlin would appear to be unserious about a peace deal. If both sides showed up, there could be an opportunity to make a meaningful ceasefire agreement.

On May 14, Moscow declared that President Putin’s special envoy, Vladimir Medinskiy—who led the unsuccessful negotiations last year—would lead their team of delegates. Joining him will be Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzhin, Chief of Military Intelligence Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fominykh.

Putin, notably, will not attend the talks.

Shortly before the Kremlin announced the delegation, Zelensky said Ukraine would determine its


next steps


based on the Russian delegate list.

“I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing,” he said.

Foreign Minister


Andrii Sybiha


has already arrived in Turkey ahead of the talks. He reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to the talks in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State


Marco Rubio


and Senator


Lindsey Graham


in the port city of Antalya.

Rubio, Witkoff, and Special Envoy Keith Kellogg will join the peace talks, though U.S. President Donald


Trump will not attend.

Uncertainty around the Istanbul talks has also undermined efforts to coordinate


sanctions


against Russia, officials told the WP.

Ukraine, the U.K., France, Germany, and Poland initially threatened to impose


harsh sanctions


on Moscow if they did not accept their call for an unconditional

ceasefire

. Trump said that the U.S. would join those sanctions, but when Putin refused to accept the ceasefire and instead called for direct talks,


Trump urged Ukraine to participate


in the negotiations.

A European official stated, ‘We’ve coordinated with the Americans regarding sanctions, and we’ve received positive indications. However, ultimately, it comes down to who’s in charge at any given moment.’


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