ISTANBUL, Turkey — Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending Thursday, May 15, 2025’s much-anticipated peace talks on the war in Ukraine in Istanbul, despite direct appeals from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a face-to-face meeting.
According to a statement from the Kremlin, Russia’s delegation will instead be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.
The announcement comes just days after Putin called for direct negotiations “without pre-conditions” and Zelenskyy responded by confirming his readiness to meet in person — if Putin attended.
“I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally,” Zelenskyy said earlier this week in a social media post.
However, in his nightly video address on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, he cast doubt on the seriousness of Russia’s intentions.
“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.
The talks are scheduled to begin at 10:00 local time (08:00 BST) at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.
They will be held behind closed doors, Russian news agency TASS reported.
Zelenskyy will be in Ankara on Thursday for bilateral meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Whether he will travel to Istanbul remains uncertain in the absence of his Russian counterpart.
The leaders of Russia and Ukraine have not met in person since December 2019.
Their last round of direct negotiations occurred in March 2022, also in Istanbul, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Since then, the conflict has deepened, with Russian forces making incremental gains in Ukraine’s eastern regions.
Putin’s absence has also deterred other potential high-profile attendees.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had hinted at joining the meeting if Putin attended, has confirmed he will not be present.
Speaking from Qatar on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, Trump said: “I know he would like me to be there, and that’s a possibility. If we could end the war, I’d be thinking about that.”
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reportedly urged Putin to attend the talks during a phone call on Wednesday and congratulated him on proposing them.
While President Joe Biden has remained publicly distant from the negotiations, the United States is sending a high-level diplomatic delegation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in Turkey on Wednesday, is expected to meet NATO foreign ministers in Ankara before proceeding to Istanbul on Friday, May 16, 2025.
Ahead of the gathering, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met with Rubio and reaffirmed Kyiv’s commitment to peace.
“The responsibility now lies with Moscow to match Ukraine’s constructive steps,” Sybiha said after the meeting.
Since his return to the White House, President Trump has sought to re-engage with both sides in a bid to broker a ceasefire.
His envoy, Steve Witkoff, recently met Putin in Moscow, marking a notable shift after years of Western diplomatic isolation of the Russian leader.
Trump has claimed that Russia and Ukraine were “very close to a deal” and hailed Sunday’s developments — when Putin first proposed the talks — as “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine.”
Despite renewed diplomatic activity, Thursday’s meeting in Istanbul now appears unlikely to deliver a breakthrough without the direct participation of either Putin or Zelenskyy.
The Kremlin has not commented further on the reasons behind Putin’s absence.
