Turkey holds meetings with Ukraine, Russia and U.S. in peace push

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: May 16, 2025 4:59 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Senior Ukrainian officials held a gathering in Istanbul on Friday with U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg and elder aides to the French, British and German leaders, Ukrainian statesmanlike main of unit Andriy Yermak said connected societal media.

The gathering was attended from the Ukrainian broadside by Yermak arsenic good arsenic Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were successful Istanbul connected Friday for what was billed arsenic their archetypal nonstop bid talks successful much than 3 years, nether unit from U.S. President Donald Trump to extremity Europe's deadliest struggle since World War Two.

The brushwood anticipated astatine the Dolmabahce Palace connected the Bosphorus would beryllium a motion of diplomatic advancement betwixt the warring sides, who had not met face-to-face since March 2022, the period pursuing Russia's invasion.

Expectations for a large breakthrough, already low, were dented further connected Thursday erstwhile Trump said determination would beryllium nary question without a gathering betwixt himself and Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

WATCH | Putin won't be bid talks; Moscow sending aides and lawman ministers instead: 

Trump, winding up a Middle East circuit and heading backmost to Washington, said connected Friday helium would conscionable the Russian person "as soon arsenic we tin acceptable it up."

In Istanbul, a Reuters newsman saw the archetypal vehicles arriving astatine the talks venue, including achromatic minibuses and respective achromatic cars. A Turkish Foreign Ministry root said a gathering had started betwixt Turkish, U.S. and Ukrainian officials.

Turkish sources had said the Ukrainian and Russian delegations would conscionable successful the beingness of Turkish officials, opening astatine 0930 GMT (5:30 a.m. ET).

Putin connected Sunday projected nonstop talks with Ukraine successful Turkey, but has spurned a situation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to conscionable him successful person, and alternatively has sent a squad of mid-ranking officials to the talks.

Zelenskiy said Putin's determination not to be but to nonstop what helium called a "decorative" lineup showed the Russian person was not superior astir ending the war. Russia accused Ukraine of trying "to enactment connected a show" astir the talks.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who besides flew to Istanbul connected Friday, told reporters the nighttime earlier that, based connected the level of the negotiating teams, a large breakthrough was unlikely.

"I anticipation I'm wrong. I anticipation I'm 100% wrong. I anticipation time the quality says they've agreed to a ceasefire; they've agreed to participate superior negotiations. But I'm conscionable giving you my assessment, honestly," helium said.

Russia says it sees the talks arsenic a continuation of the negotiations that took spot successful the aboriginal weeks of the warfare successful 2022, besides successful Istanbul.

But the presumption nether treatment then, erstwhile Ukraine was inactive reeling from Russia's archetypal invasion, would beryllium profoundly disadvantageous to Kyiv. They included a request by Moscow for ample cuts to the size of Ukraine's military.

With Russian forces present successful power of adjacent to a 5th of Ukraine, Putin has held accelerated to his longstanding demands for Kyiv to cede territory, wantonness its NATO rank ambitions and go a neutral country.

Ukraine rejects these presumption arsenic tantamount to capitulation, and is seeking guarantees of its aboriginal information from satellite powers, particularly the United States.