Putin determines the composition of the Russian delegation at the talks with Ukraine in Turkey

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order on the formation of a delegation of the Russian Federation to participate in negotiations with Ukraine, which are to be held in Turkey. The relevant document was published by the press service of the Kremlin.

The delegation will be headed by Assistant to the President of Russia, Volodymyr Medynskyi. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mykhailo Galuzin, Deputy Minister of Defense Oleksandr Fomin, as well as Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov will go to Turkey with him. The name of the President of the Russian Federation does not appear in the document.

The composition of the “experts” who will participate in the negotiations with Ukraine has also been approved:

• Zorin A.S. — First Deputy Chief of the Information Department of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces;
• Podobreevska E.C. — Deputy Head of the Office of the President of the Russian Federation for State Policy in the Humanitarian Field;
• Polishchuk A.A. — director of the Second Department of the CIS countries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia;
• Shevtsov V.I. — Deputy Head of the Main Department of International Military Cooperation of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

We will remind that the first direct talks between Ukraine and Russia since 2022 are scheduled for May 15 in Turkey. Vladimir Putin initiated the new round, and Ukraine agreed to participate in the meeting. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s decree, the head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiga and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will represent the Ukrainian side at the negotiations. As a result, the level of representation of the Ukrainian delegation turned out to be higher than that of the Russian one.

Earlier, Zelenskyi expressed readiness for a personal meeting with Putin. According to him, Kyiv was waiting for the announcement of the composition of the Russian delegation in order to “understand what steps Ukraine should take next.” At the same time, the president emphasized Ukraine’s openness to various formats of negotiations.

On May 16, the day after the meeting, a visit to Turkey by US representatives – Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy of the President Steve Witkoff – is scheduled.