Lavrov and Ushakov may travel from Russia to Turkey for talks – WP
Russia will be represented at the talks in Turkey by the aggressor state's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, The Washington Post reports, citing a senior former Kremlin official.
Pro-Kremlin analyst Sergei Markov noted that direct talks between Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky are unlikely.
"Whether Putin comes to Istanbul now for talks depends on Trump and whether Trump is ready to take responsibility for Zelensky's behavior," the Kremlin analyst said.
On the American side, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg will arrive in Istanbul. Kellogg noted that US President Donald Trump will fly to the talks if Putin comes to the meeting .
- On May 11, Zelenskyy said he was ready to meet with Putin in person in Turkey on May 15.
- On May 13, he confirmed this and emphasized that the Ukrainian side did not pursue other formats of negotiations. Zelensky will also meet with Erdogan – he says they will do "everything possible" to ensure that the meeting with Putin takes place.
- On May 13, Peskov said that the names of Russia's representatives at the talks with Ukraine in Istanbul would be announced only when the Russian dictator himself "deems it necessary."