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Zelenskyy Confirms Ukrainian Delegation for Istanbul Talks Led by Umerov

On May 15, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the composition of Ukraine’s delegation for negotiations with Russia, scheduled for May 16 in Istanbul, Türkiye. The talks will focus on achieving a ceasefire.
The delegation will be led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and includes key representatives from Ukraine’s diplomatic and security sectors:
Serhiy Kyslytsya, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs;
Oleksandr Poklad, Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine;
Oleh Luhovskyi, First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service;
Oleksiy Shevchenko, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
They will be joined by a group of senior military and intelligence officials.
The decree also grants the head of the delegation the authority, with presidential consent, to make changes to the delegation’s composition and approves confidential negotiation guidelines.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also highlighted during a press conference in Ankara on May 15, the low level of the Russian delegation but stressed that Ukraine participates “out of respect for Presidents Trump and Erdoğan.”

Zelenskyy explained that since Russian leader Putin is not attending, there is no reason for him, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, or the Chief of the General Staff to be in Istanbul. Instead, Minister Umerov will lead a group of military and intelligence officials to the negotiations.
“The main goal of the Istanbul talks is a ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said. “Putin did not come, so I have nothing to do in Istanbul. Russia said Putin was ready for direct talks, then they changed their stance. We remain ready for direct negotiations.”
He added, “If Istanbul fails, if Russia does not move toward ending the war, Ukraine will ask the US, the EU, and Global South countries to impose harsh sanctions.”
Earlier, Zelenskyy had arrived in Ankara for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Zelenskyy had previously expressed his willingness to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin in person in Istanbul on the same day, following Moscow’s call for direct negotiations.
However, reports indicate that Putin will not be part of Russia’s delegation for the talks. US President Donald Trump will also be absent from the upcoming Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations.
