Donald Trump (L) and Russia's Vladimir Putin arrive to attend a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018.
Yuri Kadobnov | Afp | Getty Images
Hopes that Ukraine and Russia's leaders would meet for peace talks in Turkey on Thursday were dashed as Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and White House counterpart Donald Trump opted to skip the trip.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had come under pressure from Trump to participate in talks in Istanbul, but had said he would only do so if the Russian president was present.
Russian President Putin had signaled last Sunday that he was willing to hold "direct negotiations" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky "without any preconditions" in Istanbul this week.
The Russian leader had not confirmed if he would attend the talks in person, however, and Putin's name was notably absent when the Kremlin confirmed the delegation it would be sending to Istanbul late on Wednesday evening.
The Kremlin had been coy on whether the Russian president would attend the talks, with Putin's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov sidestepping reporters' questions on the topic. When asked on Wednesday if Putin would be travelling to Turkey, the spokesperson responded that the president had "work meetings" instead.
Peskov was emphatic on Thursday, however, giving a straight "no" when asked if Putin would be attending the talks.
The Russian delegation is being led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, as well as senior military official Igor Kostyukov. Despite Putin's absence, the Kremlin said the president had, nonetheless, held a late night meeting with several top Russian officials to discuss the talks.
After the Kremlin's announcement, a senior White House official told NBC News that senior U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, would be traveling to Istanbul for talks — while Trump would not be travelling to Turkey.
Ukraine's Zelenskyy had expressed scepticism about the talks this week, commenting on Wednesday that he was still "waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," he said on the X social media platform.
Kyiv had come under pressure to participate in discussions after Trump on Sunday said that Ukraine should agree to meet Russia "immediately."
"At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible," Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform.
"If it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!" Trump said he was "starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin" before exclaiming, "HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!"
It's uncertain whether Zelenskyy will still attend the talks now that Putin and Trump won't be present.
Andrii Yermak, the head of Zelenskyy's office, was expected to attend the negotiations, but there has been no official confirmation that he is still taking part. Zelenskyy is due to meet Turkish President Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday.
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