Russia and Ukraine hold first direct peace talks in Istanbul in over three years

Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in over three years on Friday in Istanbul, Turkey. The talks were brokered by the Turkish government and involved a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and a Russian team headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. The meeting took place around a U-shaped table with both sides facing each other.

The talks followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s offer for a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Putin declined. Ukraine accepted a U.S. and European proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire, but Russia has imposed multiple conditions that effectively rejected the ceasefire offer. The Ukrainian delegation criticized the Russian team as low-level and described it as a “theater prop.”

Ahead of the Istanbul talks, Ukrainian officials coordinated with national security advisers from the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to align their positions. The U.S. delegation was led by retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, acting as a special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Turkish officials also confirmed a trilateral meeting involving Turkey, the U.S., and Ukraine to support the diplomatic process.

While diplomatic efforts were ongoing, Ukrainian and Western military analysts reported preparations by Russian forces for a new military offensive. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio stated, “We don’t have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow,” and highlighted the importance of a direct meeting between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as a potential way to break the deadlock.

During the talks, Zelenskyy was in Albania attending a meeting with leaders from 47 European countries to discuss security, defense, and democratic standards in the context of the ongoing war. The Istanbul negotiations represent the first direct engagement between Russian and Ukrainian officials since the conflict began more than three years ago.