Reuters reported that at around 3:00 p.m. on May 15 (local time, which is 7:00 p.m. Vietnam time), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Turkey.
However, instead of going directly to Istanbul - where the talks between Russia and Ukraine are scheduled to take place, Mr. Zelensky went to the capital Ankara for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Putin in advance.
Immediately after landing at the airport, responding to reporters about his thoughts on the Russian delegation, Mr. Zelensky said, "I do not consider them official". He said he and his colleagues would consider sending a group of diplomats as replacements to the meeting in Istanbul after concluding talks with President Putin.
The Ukrainian leader later confirmed that he would send a delegation to attend talks with Russia in Istanbul, according to RT. Mr Zelensky said that he made this decision out of respect for US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Putin.
According to him, the Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is expected to discuss a ceasefire during a meeting with Russia.
Mr Zelensky added that Kiev negotiators will stay in Istanbul on May 16 as negotiations could extend to a second day.
