Vladimir Putin has approved the lineup of Russia’s delegation for negotiations with Ukraine, scheduled to take place on May 15 in Istanbul. The decree was published on the Kremlin’s official website, according to Russian media.
The delegation will again be headed by Vladimir Medinsky, Putin’s aide, who also led Russia’s delegation during the 2022 peace talks. Other key members include:
- Mikhail Galuzin – Deputy Foreign Minister
- Igor Kostyukov – Chief of the General Staff’s Main Directorate (military intelligence)
- Alexander Fomin – Deputy Defence Minister
Putin also approved a team of experts to accompany the delegation. It includes:
- Alexander Zorin – First Deputy Head of the General Staff’s Information Directorate
- Yevgenia Podobreevskaya – Deputy Head of the Kremlin's Department for State Policy in the Humanitarian Sphere
- Alexey Polischuk – Director of the Second CIS Countries Department, Russian Foreign Ministry
- Viktor Shevtsov – Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation, Ministry of Defence
According to the published information, Putin himself is not expected to participate directly in the talks.
Alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is expected to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday, Ukraine’s delegation to the May 15 negotiations with Russia in Istanbul will include several senior officials. According to sources cited by Ukrainian broadcaster NV, the delegation will consist of:
- Andriy Yermak – Head of the Presidential Office
- Rustem Umerov – Minister of Defence
- Ihor Zhovkva – Diplomatic Adviser to the President
- Andrii Sybiha – Minister of Foreign Affairs (already in Turkey)
The meeting in Istanbul marks the first high-level contact of this kind since 2022, as both sides prepare for renewed diplomatic engagement amid the ongoing full-scale war.
