Speculation over whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to engage in direct talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, May 15th, in Istanbul to discuss peace is growing as the scheduled date for the meeting approaches.
The Kremlin has refused to say whether Putin will travel to Turkey, after he himself proposed Russia-Ukraine talks in a weekend Kremlin address. Moscow has confirmed, however, that a “Russian delegation will be present.”
Zelensky on Tuesday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to help secure a meeting with Putin in Turkey, and added that the West should impose massive sanctions if Putin skips the meeting.
Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday that he will press Putin in person to attend negotiations with Zelensky. Lula will stop over in the Russian capital on the way back to Brazil following the conclusion of a regional forum in China.
The negotiations scheduled for Thursday in Istanbul would be the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022.
Trump said the negotiations could yield “some pretty good results,” with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also set to attend.
