US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin remained unconfirmed attendees for what could become the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years, as the Kremlin on Wednesday refrained from disclosing who would represent Russia.
Putin had proposed holding direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday “without any preconditions,” but he did not clarify who would be attending on Moscow’s behalf. On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he could not provide further details on the matter.
Trump earlier this week urged Ukraine to attend the talks, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy quickly responded, saying he would go—but only if Putin showed up—setting the stage for a diplomatic standoff that appears to be a contest of wills over who wants peace more.
“(Putin) would like me to be there, and that’s a possibility… I don’t know that he would be there if I’m not there. We’re going to find out,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Qatar, according to Reuters.
Trump added that he was still considering whether to attend the Istanbul summit himself but remained uncertain about Putin’s attendance. Zelenskyy has challenged Putin to come “if he’s not afraid.”
Trump is pushing for a 30-day ceasefire in the conflict, which has become Europe’s largest land war since World War Two. According to Reuters, a Russian lawmaker said on Wednesday that the Istanbul talks could also address a potential large-scale prisoner-of-war exchange.
Zelenskyy supports an immediate 30-day ceasefire, while Putin has indicated he wants talks to first cover the terms of any such truce.
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Sanctions and Strategic Pressure
Trump, who Reuters reports is increasingly frustrated with both Russia and Ukraine over the stalled path to peace, said he was “always considering” imposing secondary sanctions on Russia if he believed it was obstructing the process.
US officials have floated the possibility of financial measures as well as sanctions targeting buyers of Russian oil.
A Ukrainian diplomatic source told Reuters that Kyiv’s leadership would determine its course of action regarding the talks once it became clear whether Putin would participate.
“Everything will depend on whether Putin is scared of coming to Istanbul or not. Based on his response, the Ukrainian leadership will decide on the next steps,” the source said.
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If Putin were to attend, it would mark the first meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders since December 2019. The last round of direct negotiations between the two countries’ delegations took place in Istanbul in March 2022, shortly after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
Mixed signals from Moscow
There were unconfirmed reports in both Russian and US media suggesting that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, could be present in Istanbul for meetings with their Ukrainian counterparts. However, Russia’s Kommersant newspaper—known for its strong sources in the Kremlin—reported Wednesday evening that Lavrov would not attend.
Asked during a regular press briefing about the composition of Russia’s delegation, Peskov said: “We will do that when we get an instruction to do so from the president.”
“The Russian delegation will be waiting for the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul on May 15,” he added, according to Reuters.
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Trump has said he will dispatch Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg to Turkey, while also leaving open the possibility of attending the summit in person.