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Russian Delegation Ready for Talks With Ukraine on Friday, Says Medinsky

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Tommy Syrmolotov
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Russian Delegation Ready for Talks With Ukraine on Friday, Says Medinsky
Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky speaks to reporters with other members of a Russian delegation ahead of a planned meeting between Ukrainian, American and Russian delegates on May 15, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Source: Getty Images)

Head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said that the Russian side will wait for Ukrainian representatives to arrive for scheduled negotiations beginning at 10 a.m. on May 16 in Istanbul. This was reported by Russian state media RIA Novosti.

Medinsky said he had arrived in Istanbul on the instructions of Vladimir Putin to hold direct bilateral talks with Ukraine without preconditions. “We are ready to work,” he said.

“Tomorrow morning, literally from 10 a.m., we will be waiting for the Ukrainian side, which must arrive for the meeting,” Medinsky said.

Other members of the Russian delegation include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, and Igor Kostyukov, head of the GRU military intelligence service.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed the Ukrainian delegation for Istanbul talks led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed limited expectations for the Istanbul discussions between Ukraine and Russia, echoing Trump’s view that there would be no progress until he and Putin get together.

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