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Istanbul 2.0: what is known about possible negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on May 15
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed representatives of Russian and foreign media and invited Ukraine to resume direct talks without preconditions in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 15. Their goal will be to eliminate the root cause of the conflict and ensure Russia's interests. What is known about the negotiations is in the Izvestia article.
Latest comments on the Istanbul talks
At the moment, it is difficult to say at what level the negotiations will take place. To this question, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, told reporters: "on the appropriate one."
As Konstantin Kosachev, Vice Speaker of the Federation Council, told Izvestia earlier, Russia and Ukraine can make progress on a settlement at a meeting in Istanbul.
"There was the experience of the first Istanbul, and these negotiations were moving forward until some point. It is known that mutual understanding was reached on a large number of positions, and the document was initialed by the head of the Ukrainian delegation before it was pulled back. <...> But if the Ukrainian delegation appears at these talks with a mandate to abandon some ultimatums and seek common ground, I am sure that we could move forward. We are even further ahead than it was done in March 2022," the senator said.
Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, also recalled the talks in Istanbul that were interrupted three years ago.
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, 2022
"In 2022, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President F. Hollande said that no one planned to implement the Minsk agreements, and the agreements themselves were needed to gain time to prepare Ukraine to solve the "Donbass problem" by force," Zakharova said in a response published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
It also became known that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the details of the talks with Erdogan on May 15 and reiterated Ukraine's readiness for direct dialogue with Russia.
"I talked with President Erdogan. We discussed the key details of the meeting in Turkey, which can help end the war," Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel. He also expressed gratitude to Turkey for its "readiness to promote diplomacy at the highest level."
Negotiations in Istanbul on May 15: what is known
On Sunday, May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed holding talks on May 15 in Istanbul on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine: "We propose starting without delay, as early as next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul. Where they [negotiations] were held earlier, and where they were interrupted."
Most likely, the meeting on May 15 will be held at the level of diplomats. As Ivan Timofeev, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council, told RIA Novosti, the summit meeting should be prepared in advance. Moreover, negotiations should first take place at a high level, and only then at the highest level.
It is important to note that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Turkey on May 14-16. The State Department noted that the settlement of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will be one of the topics of his visit.
Reaction to the Istanbul talks on May 15
Many international representatives have already expressed their reaction to the possible negotiations. Some experts called for their early start and agreed that direct dialogue is more important than a temporary ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump has called on Ukraine to immediately begin peace talks with Russia. "Ukraine must agree to this immediately," he wrote on the TruthSocial social network.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said in a telephone conversation with Vladimir Zelensky that the opportunity for negotiations should not be missed.
It also became known that the European Union, which previously announced the introduction of new sanctions against Russia, is ready to wait for negotiations on Ukraine before insisting on them.
Turkey is a mediator in the negotiations on May 15
After offering talks in Istanbul, Vladimir Putin phoned Turkish President Recep Erdogan to discuss their details. Erdogan has already announced that the country is ready to contribute to achieving a peaceful settlement in Ukraine: "Turkey is ready to make any contribution, including organizing negotiations, to ensure a ceasefire and lasting peace."
The Turkish President also stressed the importance of cooperation in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and said that a "historic turning point" had been reached in the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.
On Monday, May 12, it also became known that Erdogan will discuss with the Cabinet of Ministers the possible resumption of the negotiation process.
"The topic of the Ukrainian [conflict] will certainly be on the international agenda of the cabinet meeting, which is scheduled for Monday at the presidential residence in Ankara," a Turkish diplomatic source told RIA Novosti.
Ankara also added about the situation in preparation for the negotiations: "Nothing concrete yet, the technical readiness of the parties is expected."
NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Turkey on May 14-15
In addition to the talks between Russia and Ukraine, which may take place on Thursday in Turkey, a meeting of the NATO foreign ministers will also take place there. As a source in Euro-Atlantic structures told TASS, NATO may try to use the "accidental coincidence" of dates to hold "auxiliary consultations" with him.
Negotiations in Istanbul in 2022: conditions and reasons for disruption
The negotiations in Istanbul in February-March 2022 were a logical continuation of three rounds of contacts between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Belarus on February 28, March 3 and March 7. On March 10, Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Dmitry Kuleba held talks. On March 29, the parties met for the first time in Turkey. Russia was represented by Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, Ukraine by the head of the Servant of the People faction, David Arahamia.
The package of agreements reached included Kiev's refusal to join NATO and the deployment of a foreign military contingent on the territory of Ukraine (including military bases), as well as the development of nuclear weapons. The military exercises had to be coordinated with the guarantor States. The list of the latter was to include members of the UN Security Council (USA, France, Great Britain, China), as well as Germany, Italy, Poland, Turkey, Israel and Canada.
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, 2022
Kiev has pledged to amend legislation and stop discrimination against the Russian language and return it to the status of the state language. The Russian Federation also demanded a legislative ban on all neo-Nazi organizations in Ukraine. In addition, Ukraine has guaranteed that it will not try to resolve the issue of Crimea militarily for 15 years and will hold negotiations on the status of the peninsula with Russia. At the same time, the Kiev negotiators confirmed their country's desire to join the EU.
As David Arahamia said in November 2023, the breakdown of the Istanbul talks occurred at the initiative of the then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
"The Russians were ready to end the war if we assumed neutrality, like Finland, and made a commitment that we would not join NATO. This was a key point," Arahamia explained. According to Arahamia, during a visit to Kiev on April 9, Johnson said: "We will not sign anything with them at all and let's just fight."
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