This is considered the largest diplomatic effort since the conflict broke out in 2022, with the hope of finding a sustainable solution to the conflict that has shaken Europe.
The meeting was held after Russian President Vladimir Putin suddenly announced his readiness to resume direct dialogue with Kiev to resolve the crisis at its root. Notably, US President Donald Trump also spoke in support of the initiative and called on Ukraine to immediately agree.
Kiev's stance - which has rejected all dialogue with Moscow - has also changed. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to go to Istanbul, despite firmly maintaining the view that only dialogue would be if his Russian counterpart directly participated. However, the Kremlin has not yet confirmed whether Mr. Putin will appear in Turkey.
The most recent meeting between Russia and Ukraine also took place in Istanbul in April 2022. At that time, Russia withdrew troops from the suburbs of Kiev as a " peaceful exercise", but later accused Ukraine of backing down on its commitments, causing confidence to collapse.
Moscow believes that the West itself, especially former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has "tied up" Kiev to continue fighting, destroying the fragile peace process.
RT said that the leader of the Russian delegation this time is Mr. Vladimir Medinsky, Assistant to the Russian President, who served as the head of the negotiation delegation in 2022. In addition, there were senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense and intelligence agencies.
Ukraine expressed disappointment with the composition, saying Medinsky was not fit to discuss core issues.
The president cannot meet such an uncertain figure, said an advisor to Ukrainian President Mikhail Podoliak, implying that without President Putin, negotiations would not take place at the highest level.
According to Ukrainian media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Chief of Staff of the Office of President Andrey Yermak and Ukrainian Defense and Foreign Ministers will travel to Istanbul. However, the official negotiation lineup will be finalized at the last minute.
President Zelensky said Kiev was ready to pursue any form of negotiation to end the conflict, but stressed that the next step would depend on the Russian representative. Ukraine is also determined that without President Putin's presence, the discussions will not be decisive.
Despite hinted at being able to attend, President Donald Trump announced that he could not travel to Istanbul due to a "closed schedule". However, special envoy Steve Witkoff and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be present on May 16 - a move that shows that Washington is not outside this peace process, regardless of who is the owner of the White House.
Meanwhile, President Putin thanked the leaders of Brazil and China for their constructive contributions to the reconciliation effort. Brazilian President Lula da Silva, during his visit to Beijing, also promised to call on Mr. Putin to personally attend the negotiations.
