CNN
Zelensky calls Russian team in Turkey ‘phony’ as Putin skips peace talks
Ivana Kottasová
By Ivana Kottasová, CNN
Updated 10:46 AM EDT, Thu May 15, 2025
See Zelensky arrive in Ankara to meet with Erdogan
01:58
What you need to know
• After a day of uncertainty, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says he’s sending a team to Istanbul for peace talks with a Russian delegation. He’s announced his defense minister will lead the delegation.
• Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who first proposed the talks, won’t be attending. Nor will Zelensky, who said that he would not meet any official but Putin. It’s not clear yet when they’ll take place.
• Another key figure who won’t be there is US President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly hinted that he might upend his Middle East travel schedule to join the negotiations. He said Putin’s absence didn’t disappoint him, and that “nothing” would happen on Ukraine until he meets him.
• Kyiv and Moscow are not known to have held direct talks at any level since soon after Moscow launched its unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But the stakes are higher this time, as both Trump and Ukraine’s European allies said they would impose more sanctions on Moscow if it didn’t agree to a ceasefire.
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10 min ago
Here is how Zelensky explained sending delegation to Istanbul despite Putin's no-show
From CNN's Kostya Gak and Ivana Kottasová
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that he decided to send a top-level delegation to Istanbul even though Russia sent a lower-level team there “out of respect” for US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“Despite the relatively low level of the Russian delegation, out of respect for President Trump, out of respect for the high level of the Turkish delegation and for President Erdogan, we still want to try to take at least the first steps towards a ceasefire, so I have decided to send our delegation to Istanbul now,” Zelensky said.
“Not everyone will be there, of course, the head of the Security Service and the Chief of the General Staff will not be there. But the delegation will be led by the Minister of Defense. Despite the fact that his counterpart will not be there,” the Ukrainian leader said.
He said his team, headed by the Minister of Defense Rustem Umeron, will have a mandate to negotiate and that a ceasefire is their number one priority.
15 min ago
Zelensky says Ukraine will never recognize occupied territories as Russia: "It's our land"
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a press conference at the Embassy of Ukraine in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a press conference at the Embassy of Ukraine in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday. Hakan Nural/Anadolu/Getty Images
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv will never recognize parts of Ukraine that are currently occupied as parts of Russia, as he confirmed peace talks are set to go ahead.
“In all discussions – and I emphasize this – and this is my unwavering position – we do not legally recognise any of our temporarily occupied territories as Russian. This is the Ukrainian land,” Zelensky told journalists.
Russia has repeatedly demanded that the four Ukrainian regions that are currently partially under its control, as well as the southern Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea that Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, are recognised as parts of Russia.
The Trump administration has indicated in the past that it believes Ukraine might not be able to get back all of its pre-war territory.
19 min ago
"We are ready to meet" with Russia, Zelensky says
From CNN's Kostya Gak
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip have agreed that delegations from Turkey, Ukraine and the US will be present in Istanbul, adding that he hopes a meeting will Russian officials takes place.
“Such a meeting will take place. We will definitely hold a meeting with the Russian side. I hope this meeting will take place,” Zelensky told reporters in Ankara, adding he was waiting for the Turks to confirm timings.
“The agenda is clear, we are ready to meet. We are waiting for corresponding signals from the Turkish side, we are waiting for specifics, at what time, today or at what time the groups will meet tomorrow,” he added.
31 min ago
Russian delegation chief says Russia is "prepared for possible compromises"
From CNN's Darya Tarasova
The head of the Russian delegation in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, told Russian state media RIA that Moscow was “ready for discussions.”
“We are ready for discussions, for resuming the Istanbul negotiations; we are prepared for possible compromises and their discussion,” Medinsky said, referring to the last known direct talks between Russia and Ukraine that took place in Istanbul in the spring of 2022.
Those talks collapsed after Russia’s demanded what observers said amounted to a capitulation by Ukraine.
Medinsky said his delegation included “senior representatives from all relevant agencies” – a possible response to criticism by Ukrainian President Zelensky over the fact that the Russian President Vladimir Putin decided against traveling to Turkey himself and decided to send a team of technocrats instead of top level diplomats.
32 min ago
Zelensky confirms he's sending team for Russia peace talks
Journalists work near Dolmabahce palace where talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday.
Journalists work near Dolmabahce palace where talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday. Dilara Acikgoz/AP
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed a delegation of Ukrainian officials is ready to meet with a Russian delegation in Turkey.
If the meeting goes ahead, this would be the first time officials from the two countries would speak to each other directly since 2022.
Zelensky told reporters that he decided to appoint his Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to head the Ukrainian delegation. Umerov speaks Ukrainian, English, Turkish and Russian.
This post has been updated.
51 min ago
Zelensky sends a delegation to Istanbul, but will not meet Russian diplomats himself
From CNN's Victoria Butenko
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is sending a delegation to Istanbul, a source familiar with the situation told CNN, but it is unclear whether they will meet a Russian team there.
The Ukrainian leader opted against flying there himself after Russian President Vladimir Putin decided not to come to the meeting
34 min ago
Talks between Erdogan and Zelensky wrap up, no word yet about Zelensky's next move
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday. Mustafa Kamaci/Turkish Presidency/Anadolu/Getty Images
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has now ended, the Ukrainian presidential office told CNN.
Zelensky said earlier he would decide whether to fly to Istanbul to attend the potential talks between Ukraine and Russia after speaking to Erdogan, but his office has so far not indicated what the Ukrainian leader would do.
1 hr 26 min ago
The waiting game in Istanbul continues
From CNN's Clare Sebastian
Journalists work near Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday.
Journalists work near Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday. Dilara Acikgoz/AP
After more than six hours of waiting, with still no meeting scheduled, according to Turkey, dozens of journalists remained camped out at the Dolmabahçe Palace, cigarettes and coffees in hand, clustered around pockets of shade.
The Russian media, their reporting echoing with the phrase “special military operation” - the Kremlin’s euphemistic term for the invasion of Ukraine - seem to be taking their cue from the Kremlin, and waiting for Ukraine to make the next move.
“Waiting is better than knowing the result” joked Stanislav Ivashchenko, a correspondent for Zvezda, a TV channel owned by Russia’s defense ministry.
He believes Erdogan is trying to convince Zelensky right now in Ankara to come to the table. No mention of Russia’s continued rejections of the US-backed ceasefire that Ukraine had wanted to be in force before talks began.
And yet Ivashchenko does want to believe this chaotic tangle of tripods overlooking the Bosphorus could be part of the beginning of the end of the war.
“Western media thinks Russia is interested in war,” he told CNN. “Everyone’s tired of this.”
But, he said, “we want to defend our position.”
1 hr 45 min ago
Here is what we know - and don't know - about the talks on Thursday
Turkish security personnel stand alert at the entrance to Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, where direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected to take place on Thursday.
Turkish security personnel stand alert at the entrance to Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, where direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected to take place on Thursday. Yasin Akgul/AFP/Getty Images
Highly anticipated talks between Russia and Ukraine – two countries locked in a bloody conflict for more than a decade – could still take place in Turkey on Thursday, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin chose to skip the summit.
The Kremlin announced on Thursday that Putin would not travel to Turkey after days of speculation that the Russian leader could show up for a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Delegations from both Russia and Ukraine are currently in Turkey, although there has been no official confirmation on when or whether they would meet.
Here is what we do – and don’t – know:
Timings disputed: The Russian state news agency Tass reported earlier on Thursday that the talks were set to start in Istanbul at 10 a.m. local time, a report that was dismissed by the Ukrainians as “fake news.”
The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova then said the meeting was postponed to the afternoon – a statement disputed by the hosts, the Turkish government, which said no talks were officially scheduled and therefore could not have been postponed.
Who’s in Turkey? The Russian delegation is headed by Vladimir Medinsky, Putin’s senior aide and a hardliner who led the Russian side during the last known direct talks between the two countries in the spring of 2022.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday morning that Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had arrived to Ankara. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in the Turkish capital where he is meeting the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Ukrainian leader said he would make a decision on whether to travel to Istanbul after meeting Erdogan.
US presence: Several top US officials are also in Turkey. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived to the coastal city of Antalya on Wednesday. He is attending an informal meeting of the NATO foreign ministers there.
Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, and his foreign envoy Steve Witkoff both plan to be in Istanbul for the talks, a senior Trump administration official said on Tuesday, a statement confirmed by another source familiar with the plans.
Trump weighs in: US President Donald Trump, who urged Zelensky to meet Putin after the Russian leader suggested the talks, told reporters on Thursday that when it comes to peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, “nothing is going to happen until” he meets with Putin.
How did we get here? Putin called for direct talks at the weekend, having rejected a call from Kyiv its allies for a 30-day truce. Zelensky quickly said he was ready to meet, following it up by saying that he would not meet any other Russian official apart from Putin.
2 hr 29 min ago
Trump says "nothing" will happen on Ukraine until he meets with Putin
From CNN’s Betsy Klein from Abu Dhabi
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters aboard Air Force One, en-route to Abu Dhabi, on Thursday.
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters aboard Air Force One, en-route to Abu Dhabi, on Thursday. Brian Snyder/Reuters
President Donald Trump told reporters that when it comes to peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, “nothing is going to happen until” he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Nothing’s gonna happen until Putin and I get together, ok? And obviously — he wasn’t going to go. He was going to go, but he thought I was going. He wasn’t going if I wasn’t there and I don’t believe anything’s going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together. But we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he landed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Trump added that he was not disappointed that the Russian delegation sent to Turkey Thursday for high-level talks with Ukraine did not include Putin: “I’m not disappointed in anything.”
He continued, “I’m not disappointed. Why would I be? We just took in $4 trillion, and you’re disappointed about a delegation? I know nothing about a delegation, I haven’t even checked.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he won’t meet with any Russian representatives in Turkey besides Putin. He called the delegation who showed up Thursday “phony.”
Trump indicated earlier Thursday that a trip to Turkey could still be on the table, keeping the option open even after top officials said there were no plans to do so.
“If something happened, I’d go on Friday if it was appropriate,” he said during a business roundtable in Doha.
Trump had vowed to end Russia’s war in Ukraine on his first day in office, a resolution that has proven elusive. Since then, he has said he was exaggerating.
2 hr 38 min ago
Russia keeps up battlefield assaults, but rate of advance remains slow
From CNN’s Andrew Carey, Victoria Butenko, Kosta Gak and Daria Tarasova-Markina
Ukrainian rescuers and municipal services workers dismantling a residential building destroyed on May 7 by a high-explosive aerial bomb in the frontline city of Kostyantynivka, Donetsk.
Ukrainian rescuers and municipal services workers dismantling a residential building destroyed on May 7 by a high-explosive aerial bomb in the frontline city of Kostyantynivka, Donetsk. Ukrainian Armed Forces/Shutterstock
While diplomacy - perhaps - takes place in Turkey, Russian troops continue their assaults on Ukrainian positions across the frontline, with further small advances recorded in recent days.
Most Russian effort remains in the Donetsk region, one of four regions in the east of Ukraine that Putin has targeted for total capture, and much to the alarm of Kyiv, areas the US has suggested Ukraine could cede in a peace deal.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, almost half of Russian attacks on Wednesday took place around the town of Pokrovsk, once a key garrison town, but now too close to Russian positions to be used as a barracks and a logistics hub.
Ukraine’s Deep State analysis group shows Russian forces extending their reach further there and consolidating control over a key supply route linking Pokrovsk with Kostiantynivka to the northeast.
Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the area told CNN they were finding it difficult to get to their artillery positions because Russian drone activity was so high.
Elsewhere in Donetsk, Putin’s forces continue to focus assaults westwards toward the town of Lyman. Russia’s Ministry of Defense reports the capture of the nearby settlement of Torske, which would mean Russian troops have crossed the Zherebets river, though this has not been confirmed by Ukraine.
Small gains: But despite there being clear evidence of a major Russian build-up of forces several dozens of kilometers back from front lines - which Ukrainians say calls into question Putin’s commitment to peace - progress by Russia on the battlefield remains slow. Even in the most active area of combat – in the southwest of Donetsk region - its forces have advanced less than 50 km (31 miles) in the last twelve months.
Ukraine, meanwhile, says it is still pursuing the ground war inside Russia.
“We are continuing our active operations in the Kursk and Belgorod regions – we are proactively defending Ukraine’s border areas,” President Zelensky said in his nightly address Wednesday.
3 hr 26 min ago
Analysis: Diplomatic hide-and-seek reveals Putin's disregard for Trump
By CNN's Nick Paton Walsh in Kyiv
Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a statement to the media at the Kremlin on Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a statement to the media at the Kremlin on Sunday. Sergey Bobylev/RIA Novosti/Reuters
However the extraordinary diplomatic hide-and-seek plays out in Turkey, there is, at the time of writing, one key takeaway.
The Kremlin is unafraid of further sanctions, of European pressure, and is not cajoled by President Donald Trump. Russian President Vladimir Putin sees the potential domestic pitfalls of a photo opportunity alongside the US leader and his Ukrainian enemy to be far greater than the possible damage that incurring Trump’s wrath may cause.
And it is a decision that may already have paid off. Trump’s first reaction to the Kremlin’s abject refusal to attend the direct talks it itself suggested – but that Zelensky turned into a face-to-face with Putin – was to insist he never anticipated the Russian leader would go if he did not, and even to hold out another 24 hours for any possible meeting to happen.
Could it all come together in a hurry for Friday?
Nothing is impossible. But it does seem as though Moscow has made its decision. The team it sent to Istanbul was at a lower technical level, not even matching the seniority of the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who is in country now. The timetable and formats Putin proposed at the weekend is what Russia is adhering to. By refusing to spell out who it would send, the Kremlin held out the suggestion Putin might go for over three days. It could have been bargaining for a bilateral with Trump, or explicit conditions or concessions ahead of a presidential summit, or perhaps it had absolutely no intention of attending. We may never know.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, center, arrives at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, center, arrives at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday. Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Zelensky now faces an awkward choice. He must stay in Turkey long enough to ensure Trump knows he was serious about a meeting, but not long enough to be seen to be waiting for the Kremlin. He must either dismiss Russia’s Istanbul initiative as too little too late, or engage with it and hence start an entirely new track in peace talks that have led almost nowhere in over three months.
Trump also faces a tough call. He can no longer kick the can down the road of whether Moscow faces consequences. Putin has flatly rejected both the demand for a 30-day ceasefire, and face-to-face diplomacy with Trump as an intermediary. The “massive sanctions” that French President Emmanuel Macron warned of are the only consistent response available to the White House. But the first signs in Qatar from Trump are he might be reticent to call the push for peace a bust. It is probably the most important decision he’ll make over this conflict.
4 hr 3 min ago
Why are the talks happening in Turkey?
From CNN’s Ivana Kottasová and Gul Tuysuz
Military delegations from Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and UN officials attend a meeting to discuss shipment of Ukrainian grain stuck due blockade of Black Sea ports, on July 13, 2022, at Kalender Pavilion in Istanbul, Turkey.
Military delegations from Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and UN officials attend a meeting to discuss shipment of Ukrainian grain stuck due blockade of Black Sea ports, on July 13, 2022, at Kalender Pavilion in Istanbul, Turkey. Arif Akdogan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The Turkish government said earlier this week that it was prepared to provide “all kinds of support, including mediation and hosting negotiations, to achieve peace” in Ukraine.
Turkey has played the role of the bridge between Moscow and Kyiv in the past, most notably when it brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative which guarantees the safe passage of Ukrainian ships carrying food exports – a rare diplomatic success in the brutal conflict. Russia withdrew from the pact in 2023.
As a NATO member, Turkey is invested in the conflict, but it is also seen as more amenable to Russia, with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously hailing his “special relationship” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
3 hr 50 min ago
Meeting between Zelensky and Erdogan is underway
From CNN's Victoria Butenko and Gul Tuysuz
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, on Friday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, on Friday. Mustafa Kamaci/Turkish Presidency/Anadolu/Getty Images
Talks between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are now underway in Ankara, Ukrainian and Turkish officials say.
Zelensky earlier said he would decide whether to fly to Istanbul for talks with a Russian delegation after the meeting.
4 hr 18 min ago
Ukraine's top diplomat: Kyiv is "demonstrating openness and support for Trump's plan"
From CNN's Kostya Gak
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha takes part in a panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Antalya, Turkey, on April 12.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha takes part in a panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Antalya, Turkey, on April 12. Mert Gokhan Koc/DIA Photo/AP
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told the Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne that Kyiv’s delegation to Turkey was “demonstrating our openness and support for (US) President (Donald) Trump’s efforts to achieve a just peace.”
“Ukraine has never been and is not an obstacle to achieving peace,” he said.
Sybiha repeated that Ukraine has sent a top level delegation to Turkey, while Russia chose a delegation of lower level diplomats.
4 hr 16 min ago
Russia amassing forces for new Ukraine offensive, US officials say
From CNN’s Jim Sciutto
A serviceman of the 43rd Hetman Taras Triasylo Separate Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stands near an Archer self-propelled howitzer as it is fired towards Russian troops on April 24.
A serviceman of the 43rd Hetman Taras Triasylo Separate Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stands near an Archer self-propelled howitzer as it is fired towards Russian troops on April 24. Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters
As Ukrainian and Russian officials prepare to potentially meet in Turkey, Russia is amassing forces on the frontlines for a possible new offensive intended to capture more Ukrainian territory, two US officials with knowledge of the latest US assessments told CNN.
Russian commanders “aspire to generate a big force,” the first US official said, adding that the likely offensive is focused on gaining more ground in eastern Ukraine.
“Putin will attempt to take whatever land he can get right up to the outskirts of Kyiv,” the second US official said. “The Russians are going to make every effort to get what they can.”
The preparations come as Ukraine is suffering a major manpower shortage on the battlefield. US assessments show that it is largely Ukrainian drone capabilities and the effectiveness of its minefields that are holding back Russia despite its sizable manpower advantage, both in Eastern Ukraine and inside Russia’s Kursk region where Ukrainian forces still maintain a foothold.
Russia is having its own challenges amassing the forces it would like, as the two sides have continued a grinding and deadly war of attrition in eastern Ukraine. In addition, the first official told CNN that there is no indication that North Korea is currently able to significantly increase its own troops levels in Ukraine, following the loss of thousands of its soldiers in the fighting. However, for weeks now, US assessments have shown little change in Russia’s war aims, including taking control of more Ukrainian territory, despite the Trump administration urging the Kremlin to abide by a 30-day ceasefire and to enter substantive peace talks.
CNN has previously reported that surveillance feeds have been showing Ukrainian forces for several weeks that Russia is moving significant numbers of troops and hardware into positions just a few dozen kilometers back from the front line.
Those forces played CNN a video filmed recently showing a vast network of dugouts, tarpaulins and vehicles, carefully spaced along a seemingly endless tree line.
4 hr 41 min ago
Trump claims he didn't anticipate Putin would attend talks with Ukraine in Turkey
From CNN’s Betsy Klein
US President Donald Trump, center, speaks during a breakfast with business leaders in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump, center, speaks during a breakfast with business leaders in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump said Thursday he was not disappointed by news that Russia President Vladimir Putin will not attend talks with Ukraine in Turkey this week, claiming he didn’t expect Putin to go to the talks that the Russian leader himself suggested.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Putin would not be in attendance for the talks. The direct talks were first proposed by Putin in response to the ceasefire-or-sanctions ultimatum given to Moscow by Ukraine’s European allies on Saturday.
In a subsequent post to social media, Trump called on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to “HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!”
Days later, Trump told reporters in Qatar he “didn’t anticipate” Putin’s participation when asked if he was disappointed by the Russian president’s absence at the upcoming talks.
“No, I didn’t anticipate (Putin would go). I actually said, ‘Why would he go if I’m not going?’ Because I wasn’t going to go. I wasn’t planning to. I would go, but I wasn’t planning to go. And I said, ‘I don’t think he’s going to go if I don’t go.’ And that turned out to be right,” Trump said.
He continued, “I didn’t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there.”
Trump repeatedly floated the possibility of traveling to Turkey for the talks as he made a three-stop trip to the Middle East, stoking speculation and dropping hints multiple times.
“I was thinking about going,” Trump said Thursday in what could be an attempt to save face, but once more kept the option open: “If something happened, I’d go on Friday if it was appropriate.”
CNN’s Ivana Kottasova and Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report.
3 hr 44 min ago
Analysis: Putin's no-show reveals who is calling the shots
By CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Moscow
Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with senior officials to discuss the mooted upcoming peace talks with Ukraine in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with senior officials to discuss the mooted upcoming peace talks with Ukraine in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday. Alexander Kazakov/Reuters
Vladimir Putin kept the world guessing and got what he wanted.
“No.” That was the simple answer Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave me when I asked him early on Thursday whether there was still a chance Russian President Vladimir Putin might turn up at the Ukraine–Russia talks in Istanbul.
While Ukraine and its allies have been talking about pressuring Russia to finally agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and for Putin to fly to Istanbul for direct talks with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, who said he would be waiting there for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin has once again shown he will operate on his own time and in his own way.
Neither Zelensky, nor an alliance of top European leaders, nor US President Donald Trump have determined the pace, the format or the preconditions for the talks – Vladimir Putin has.
Early on Sunday morning, as I was among a small group of journalists waiting for Putin to react to an initiative by Kyiv and the Europeans demanding an immediate ceasefore, the Russian leader finally emerged at close to 2am, saying he would initiate direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on May 15.
Ukraine reacted saying there needed to a ceasefire first and the talks needed to be between the two leaders directly, not level delegations. Trump said he was ready to fly to Istanbul to spurn the talks on.
Now May 15 has arrived. Vladimir Putin is not coming, the Russians have sent a delegation led by a senior Kremlin aid, and the talk of a direct ceasefire has all but evaporated.
President Trump said he never believed Putin would come anyway.
“Why would he go if I’m not going?” Trump he asked.
But the reality is, it’s the Russian leader who is calling the shots.
4 hr 53 min ago
Turkey says "no scheduled meeting yet"
From CNN's Gul Tuysuz
A source from the Turkish Foreign Ministry told CNN that there was “no scheduled meeting yet” between Russia and Ukraine, responding to statements made by Moscow that a meeting was scheduled for this morning and then postponed for this afternoon Turkish time.
The source gave the following information about who is in Turkey:
- A “technical” Russian delegation is in Istanbul.
- Some US officials are also in Istanbul.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Ankara and will meet with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “soon.”
- A NATO foreign ministers meeting continues in Antalya.
5 hr 4 min ago
Zelensky calls Russia's delegation "phony" as he arrives in Turkey
From CNN's Ivana Kottasova
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talks to members of media upon his arrival at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talks to members of media upon his arrival at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday. Huseyin Hayatsever/Reuters
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky questioned Russia’s intentions for the possible talks in Turkey on Thursday, saying the level of diplomats Moscow sent to Istanbul doesn’t suggest serious intentions.
Speaking on the tarmac after landing at an airport in Ankara before talks with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Zelensky questioned the mandate of the Russian team, saying: “We all know who makes decisions in Russia.”
The Russian delegation is led by Vladimir Medinsky, Putin’s senior aide and a member of Russia’s Supreme Council bureau, the Kremlin said. He was the head of the Russian delegation in 2022, which was when Ukraine and Moscow had their last known direct talks.
According to a list released by the Kremlin, Medinsky is joined by Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
The Ukrainian leader pointed that Kyiv sent a delegation of the highest level – himself and the country’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
“We don’t yet know the official level of Russians, but from what we see, it looks phony,” Zelensky told reporters in Ankara.
Zelensky added that he would make a decision on whether to fly to Istanbul to attend the talks after meeting with Erdogan.
5 hr 28 min ago
Russia says talks postponed to the afternoon, no confirmation from Ukraine or Turkey
From CNN's Darya Tarasova
The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that negotiations in Istanbul “have been postponed to the second half of the day at the initiative of the Turkish side.”
A reminder: The Turkish government never confirmed any negotiations were set to take place, so it is unclear what Zakharova was referring to.
An earlier announcement by Zakharova that talks would start at 10 a.m. local time was dismissed by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as “fake news.”
5 hr 35 min ago
Here is what we know - and don't know - about the talks on Thursday
Members of press wait outside Dolmabahce Presidential Office for the start of Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday.
Members of press wait outside Dolmabahce Presidential Office for the start of Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday. Hakan Akgun/Anadolu/Getty Images
Scores of journalists, diplomats and Russia watchers have descended onto Istanbul on Thursday amid expectations that officials from Russia and Ukraine – two countries locked in a bloody conflict for more than a decade – could meet face to face for the first time in three years.
Little is known about what could happen on Thursday after the Kremlin shot down the speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin could travel to Turkey himself.
Delegations from both Russia and Ukraine are currently in Turkey, although whether they’ll meet is uncertain.
Here is what we do – and don’t – know:
Timings disputed: The Russian state news agency Tass reported earlier on Thursday that the talks were set to start in Istanbul at 10 a.m. local time, a report that was dismissed by the Ukrainians as “fake news.”
No other time has been given and no talks have started as of 12 noon local time.
Who’s in Turkey? The Russian delegation is headed by Vladimir Medinsky, Putin’s senior aide and a hardliner who led the Russian side during the last known direct talks between the two countries in the spring of 2022.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday morning that Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had arrived to Ankara. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was also scheduled to be in the Turkish capital where he was set to meet the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Ukrainian leader will make a decision on whether to travel to Istanbul after meeting Erdogan, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.
US presence: Several top US officials are also in Turkey. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived to the coastal city of Antalya on Wednesday. He is attending an informal meeting of the NATO foreign ministers there.
Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, and his foreign envoy Steve Witkoff both plan to be in Istanbul for the talks, a senior Trump administration official said on Tuesday, a statement confirmed by another source familiar with the plans.
How did we get here? Putin called for direct talks at the weekend, having rejected a call from Kyiv its allies for a 30-day truce. Zelensky quickly said he was ready to meet, following it up by saying that he would not meet any other Russian official apart from Putin.
But the Kremlin has made it clear Putin won’t be there, making the likelihood of any breakthrough even more slim.
5 hr 45 min ago
A confusing morning in Istanbul
From CNN's Clare Sebastian in Istanbul
Members of press wait outside Dolmabahce Presidential Office for the start of Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday.
Members of press wait outside Dolmabahce Presidential Office for the start of Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday. Hakan Akgun/Anadolu/Getty Images
After five days of confusion and speculation around these talks, there was yet more this morning in Istanbul.
Dozens of journalists, including Russian state media, gathered outside the Dolmabahce Palace, after sources told Russian State news agency TASS the meeting would begin at 10am, but even security guards outside seemed confused as to why we were there.
Just after 10am, despite Ukraine calling the TASS report ‘fake news’ the press were suddenly moved to the other side of the building and barriers put up.
But again… nothing happened, though this time with a view of the Bosphorus.
6 hr 44 min ago
Zelensky to decide on Russia talks after meeting Turkey's president
From CNN's Victoria Butenko
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will make a decision on talks with Russia after meeting with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.
The source said all would be “clear” after the meeting.
Zelensky is due to meet Erdogan in the Turkish capital Ankara, but there is uncertainty over whether anyone will attend the possible talks with Russia in Istanbul.
6 hr 51 min ago
Kremlin says duration of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul depends on "progress," state media reports
From CNN’s Lex Harvey
The duration of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul will depend on how much progress is made, Russian state news agency TASS on Thursday reported a Kremlin spokesman as saying.
“Today is the beginning of the talks. Everything will depend on their progress,” Dmitry Peskov said when asked if the talks are set for only May 15 or if they could last several days, according to TASS.
It was unclear Thursday if the talks were moving forward. There was no confirmation from Turkish sources that they were happening.
Earlier, Ukraine dismissed reports in Russian state media that the talks were scheduled for 10 a.m. local time.
5 hr 35 min ago
No time set for talks with Russia in Turkey, Ukraine says
From Victoria Butenko and Kosta Gak
Members of Turkish police's special forces walk outside the Dolmabahce Presidential Office, where Russia and Ukraine direct talks might happen, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday.
Members of Turkish police's special forces walk outside the Dolmabahce Presidential Office, where Russia and Ukraine direct talks might happen, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday. Murad Sezer/Reuters
There is no time set yet for Thursday’s talks in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia, Kyiv said, dismissing reports of a 10 a.m. start time (3 a.m. ET) carried by Russian state media.
Serhiy Nykyforov, Spokesperson for the President of Ukraine told CNN the report in the TASS news outlet was “just another Russian fake news”.
In a post on Telegram, Andriy Kovalenko, an official with Kyiv’s National Security and Defense Council, also rejected Russian state media reports of a 10 a.m. start time. “This is not true. No such time has been scheduled.”
A direct meeting between Kyiv and Moscow at any level would mark a milestone in the conflict. The two are not known to have held direct talks since soon after Moscow launched its unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
While the meeting will not be attended by Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladmir Putin or Donald Trump, high level delegations from both Ukraine and the US will be in Istanbul for the meet including White House envoys Keith Kellogg and Steve Witkoff.
5 hr 49 min ago
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of launching drone attacks ahead of talks
From CNN’s Kosta Gak
Firefighters work at the site of a private enterprise hit by a Russian drone strike on the outskirts of Sumy, Ukraine, on Thursday.
Firefighters work at the site of a private enterprise hit by a Russian drone strike on the outskirts of Sumy, Ukraine, on Thursday. State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Reuters
Russia and Ukraine on Thursday accused each other of launching drone attacks at each other overnight, hours before the first known direct talks between the two sides since 2022 were scheduled to start in Turkey.
Russia attacked with 110 drones, Ukraine’s Air Force said on Telegram. As of 8 a.m. local time, 62 drones were confirmed shot down in the east, north, west and center of the country, it said.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its air defenses destroyed two Ukrainian drones over the Rostov and Belgorod regions.
Over the past 24 hours, at least five civilians were killed and 20 people were wounded in shelling and other Russian attacks, Ukrainian authorities said.
7 hr 3 min ago
Kremlin spokesman confirms Putin will not attend talks with Ukraine in Turkey
From CNN’s Fred Pleitgen
Russian president Vladimir Putin will not attend planned talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey, the Kremlin’s spokesperson told CNN on Thursday.
Asked whether there was a chance the Russian leader would be in attendance in the talks, Dmitry Peskov replied: “No.”
6 hr 2 min ago
What could be on the table at the Istanbul talks?
From CNN’s Ivana Kottasová
Rescuers evacuate a wounded resident from an apartment building damaged during a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on May 1.
Rescuers evacuate a wounded resident from an apartment building damaged during a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on May 1. Reuters
Ukraine and Russia are so far apart that that it is unclear what the talks – if they were to happen – would be about.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that anything other than an agreement on an unconditional ceasefire would be a failure.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, said that while Russia does not rule out that “during these talks there will be a possibility to arrange some kind of new truce, a new ceasefire,” the talks will aim to eliminate the “root causes” of the conflict.
The “root causes” he cites include long-held Russian grievances that include the existence of Ukraine – formerly part of the Soviet Union – as a sovereign state, and NATO’s eastward expansion since the end of the Cold War.
Neither is negotiable for Ukraine or its allies.
6 hr 4 min ago
When did Ukraine and Russia last have direct talks?
From CNN’s Ivana Kottasová
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (C) gives a thank you speech during the peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine at Dolmabahce Presidential Office in Istanbul, Turkey on March 29, 2022. Turkish Presidency Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin (C-L) and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal (C-R) also attended the meeting.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, center, gives a thank you speech during the peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine at Dolmabahce Presidential Office in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 29, 2022. Cem Ozdel/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The last known direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow took place in Turkey and Belarus in the spring of 2022 – when it became clear that Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s initial plan to take over the whole of Ukraine and install a new puppet government in Kyiv within a few days had gone catastrophically wrong.
This left Russia scrambling, trying to achieve its goals through negotiations.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based conflict monitor, said the agreement that was proposed by Moscow called for Ukraine to surrender its sovereignty and would have made Ukraine completely powerless in the face of any future attacks.
Once Ukrainian forces began liberating parts of northern Ukraine, finding clear evidence of massacres and other atrocities as they advanced, the talks started to collapse.
The Russian abuses uncovered in one town in particular – Bucha, just north of Kyiv – horrified the world and hardened the resolve of the Ukrainian people.
6 hr 10 min ago
Live coverage begins
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky CNN
Welcome to our live coverage, bringing you the latest on what could be the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine since the early weeks of Moscow’s invasion in 2022 - but the format, participants and even whether they’ll happen remains unclear.
They follow a proposal from Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who won’t himself be attending, turning down a challenge from Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
We’ll bring you the latest.
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