Newsletters
Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation at peace talks with Ukraine hosted by Türkiye, said Thursday that his team has full authority to address all matters necessary to resolve the conflict.
Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul, Medinsky said the delegation’s mandate was outlined during a meeting the previous evening, during which Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared the team for negotiations.
The preparatory meeting covered a wide range of topics, including foreign policy, security, economics and the defense industry, with military leaders providing updates on the frontlines, Medinsky noted.
“We see these negotiations as a continuation of the peace process, which began in Istanbul but was unfortunately halted by the Ukrainian side three years ago,” he said. “Our official delegation has been approved by the president’s decree, and it has all of the necessary authority and competencies to conduct these talks.”
He added that the Russian team is committed to a constructive dialogue and is seeking potential solutions and common ground.
“The goal of direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side is to achieve long-term peace, ultimately addressing the underlying root causes of the conflict,” Medinsky said.
The meeting in Istanbul follows Putin’s call for direct talks during a press conference Sunday in Moscow. The Russian leader rejected a 30-day cease-fire initiative backed by Ukraine and its Western allies — a proposal Kyiv says Russia has “completely ignored.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed his attendance at the talks. In response, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to facilitating a just and lasting peace, emphasizing Ankara’s readiness to host and support the negotiations.
Erdogan, who spoke with Putin by phone earlier this week, urged all parties to seize what he described as a “window of opportunity” for peace.
Previous efforts to reach a settlement in Istanbul — including a round of failed negotiations in April 2022, two months after the full-scale war began — are widely seen as a missed opportunity.
The Istanbul meeting would mark the highest-level face-to-face engagement between Russia and Ukraine in more than a year. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. Russian forces currently occupy about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
1 min read
1 min read
