According to sources, this decision was made after the illegitimate President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin announced the Russian delegation that will go to Turkey for negotiations with Ukraine. Putin himself is not in her.
He appointed his assistant Vladimir Medinsky as the head of the delegation, who in 2022 already represented the aggressor country at negotiations in Turkey on the level of delegations and, according to the media, participated in the preparation of the draft peace agreement.
Putin also appointed: deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Igor Kostyukov and the deputy minister of defense of the Russian Federation Alexander Fomin.
Before the announcement of the delegation of the Russian Federation, Trump told reporters on board the Air Force One flying to Qatar, which is still open to participate in negotiations in Ukraine in Turkey, but is not sure if Putin will go to them.
“He would like me to be there, and it is possible … I don’t know if he will be there if I don’t have it there. We will find out,” the head of the White House added.
Context
On the night of May 11, Putin invited Ukraine to resume direct negotiations ” without preliminary conditions “ In Istanbul (Türkiye) on May 15.
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky said that Ukraine is waiting for confirmation of the ceasefire from Russia from May 12 and is ready to meet for peace negotiations, as well as what will wait for Putin on May 15 in Turkey personally.
On May 12, the speaker of the head of the Kremlin Dmitry Peskov said that “Putin clearly and unequivocally outlined the position of resuming negotiations with Ukraine without preliminary conditions” and that Russia is allegedly “tuned to a serious search for ways of long -term regulation of the war.” But, in fact, he did not answer whether Putin was going to negotiate in Turkey. Zelensky called the “very strange” silence of Moscow about a meeting in Turkey for negotiations about the world.
On May 13, the special representative of Trump in Ukraine Keith Kellogue said that the US president could come to negotiations in Turkey if Putin still has Putin.
On May 14, the special representative of Trump for Russia and Ukraine Steve Vitkoff said that he and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will go to Istanbul for negotiations on May 16, but I am not sure about Putin.
On the same day, Rubio had already arrived in Turkey, reports CNN.
