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Russian-Ukrainian Peace Talks Begin in Istanbul with US and Turkey Mediating

by Roman Cheplyk
Friday, May 16, 2025
2 MIN
Russian-Ukrainian Peace Talks Begin in Istanbul with US and Turkey Mediating

Peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have officially commenced in Istanbul, Turkey, with the involvement of high-level delegations from Turkey, the United States, and Ukraine

The talks are being chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, according to reports from Anadolu Agency.

Key Participants

  • Ukraine:

    • Andriy YermakHead of the Office of the President

    • Andriy SybigaMinister of Foreign Affairs

    • Rustem UmerovMinister of Defense

  • United States:

    • Marco RubioUS Secretary of State

    • Tom BarrackUS Ambassador to Ankara

    • Keith KelloggPresident Donald Trump's Special Representative for Ukraine

  • Russia:

    • Vladimir MedinskyAdvisor to President Vladimir Putin

The meetings are taking place at the Dolmabahçe Presidential Office in Istanbul, with a full agenda of multilateral and trilateral formats, including:

  • Turkey–US–Ukraine

  • Turkey–Russia–Ukraine

According to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, several additional rounds of discussions are planned throughout the day. Today's trilateral Russia–Ukraine–Turkey meeting is scheduled for 12:30 PM local time.

Context

Yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree formalizing the creation of a Ukrainian delegation for these peace negotiations. The move signals Ukraine's readiness to explore a diplomatic route under international mediation.

This round of Istanbul-hosted talks is the first in the latest diplomatic effort involving both U.S. and Turkish leadership aimed at restarting the stalled peace process between Ukraine and Russia.

Further developments from the meeting are expected later today.

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