Istanbul talks shifted to afternoon following Turkish request, Russian ministry confirms

The direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul have been postponed to the second half of the day, at the request of the Turkish side.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed the delay during a briefing, stating that the Russian delegation had already arrived in Istanbul, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

 She added that the composition of the delegation had been made publicly available through Kremlin resources.

Zakharova explained, "Our delegation is in Istanbul, its composition is known, and the relevant information was published on the Kremlin's resources. The talks have been postponed to the afternoon on the initiative of the Turkish side."

A Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul on May 15 for the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in over three years. However, contrary to the calls of many world leaders, President Vladimir Putin was notably absent from the negotiating team.

Putin was not listed among the members of Moscow's delegation, which was published by the Kremlin, despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's challenge for Putin to attend the talks in person.

Instead, Putin sent a lower-ranking team led by a hardline aide who had previously overseen the failed peace negotiations in March 2022, during the early stages of Russia's invasion. The absence of both Putin and key figures such as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov or senior foreign policy advisor Yury Ushakov raises questions about the significance of the talks and the potential for any meaningful breakthrough.

By Vafa Guliyeva