Uncertainty Grows as Kremlin Stays Silent on Putin’s Attendance at Istanbul Peace Talks

Uncertainty has continued to trail the confirmation of Putin’s attendance at the peace talks scheduled for Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Istanbul, as the Kremlin has been silent on it for the third consecutive day.

The Kremlin has not even revealed who will represent Russia at the high-stakes meeting.

As global pressure mounts on Moscow, particularly from Western and allied nations, the absence of clarity has only heightened tensions surrounding the potential summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s longtime spokesperson, addressed reporters in Moscow but offered little concrete information.

“We will announce the makeup of the Russian delegation once we receive the relevant instructions from the president,” he said.

“So far, no such instructions have been given,” he added.

This ambiguity follows a surprising late-night Kremlin address by Putin earlier this week.

During the address, he proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine to be held in Istanbul.

In response, Zelenskyy openly challenged the Russian leader to meet face-to-face in Turkey, framing the offer as a genuine opportunity to end the war.

However, the logistics and participants of Thursday’s proposed meeting remain unsettled.

The stakes continue to rise amid intensified rhetoric and strategic maneuvering by both sides.

A senior Russian legislator, Leonid Slutsky, hinted on Wednesday that more information would be released later in the day.

He also suggested that a comprehensive prisoner swap could be included in the negotiations.

“About Istanbul, I won’t say anything now—you’ll know everything this evening,” Slutsky stated.

On the Ukrainian side, Zelenskyy made his own plans clear.

Speaking to a select group of journalists, including representatives from The Guardian, he confirmed that he would travel to Turkey on Thursday regardless of whether Putin confirmed attendance.

Zelenskyy noted that he was scheduled to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, and would be ready to proceed to Istanbul at a moment’s notice should Putin decide to participate.

“If Putin does not arrive and chooses to play games, that will be the final confirmation that he has no real intention to end the war,” Zelenskyy remarked on Tuesday.

In an unexpected turn, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly encouraged Zelenskyy to engage in the talks and expressed hope that Putin would appear.

On Monday, Trump even suggested that he himself might join the discussions.

This is supposedly an idea that lines up with his ongoing trip across the Middle East.

Zelenskyy quickly welcomed the idea, viewing Trump’s potential involvement as a means of adding international weight to the negotiations.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Qatar, Trump stated that while he was uncertain if Putin would attend, there was a “possibility” that he himself might divert to Turkey if Putin confirmed his presence.

“He’d like me to be there, and that’s a possibility… I don’t know that he would be there if I’m not there.

We’re going to find out,” Trump said.

He acknowledged, however, that his official itinerary placed him in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, concluding his Gulf tour.

Nonetheless, he added, “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it to save a lot of lives.”

To ensure U.S. representation, Trump announced he would dispatch Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, to attend the potential Istanbul talks.

Support for negotiations is also coming from other global actors with close ties to Moscow.

At a press briefing in Beijing, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he planned to urge Putin directly to participate in the peace efforts.

“I’ll try to talk to Putin,” Lula told journalists, adding he intended to travel to Moscow.

“It costs me nothing to say, ‘Hey, comrade Putin, go to Istanbul and negotiate, dammit.’”

Brazil and China released a joint statement on Tuesday, calling direct talks the “only way to end the conflict.”

The two countries emphasized their support for diplomacy over military escalation.

Putin and Zelenskyy have met only once before, in 2019, and Russian officials have since repeatedly questioned the Ukrainian leader’s legitimacy.

As for the substance of the Istanbul talks, Ukraine is expected to propose a 30-day ceasefire as a preliminary step toward broader discussions.

Russia, however, has routinely rejected long-term ceasefires.

It argued they allow Ukraine to rearm and reposition, particularly during periods of Russian battlefield gains.

Kremlin insiders suggest that Moscow will likely reiterate maximalist demands similar to those made during the failed 2022 negotiations in Turkey.

European leaders have warned that if the Istanbul talks collapse, they will intensify pressure on Moscow.

However, a central challenge remains: securing full U.S. alignment with their strategy, including persuading Trump to take a stronger stance against Russian aggression.

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