Overview

• Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump have confirmed they will not attend the Istanbul peace talks, reducing expectations for significant progress.
• Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, currently in Ankara meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has not joined the talks, maintaining his stance to only negotiate directly with Putin.
• The Russian delegation, led by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, includes Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and GRU chief Igor Kostyukov, signaling a lower-level representation.
• The U.S. delegation, headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, is participating in the talks to push for a 30-day ceasefire proposal backed by Western allies.
• The talks, held at Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace, mark the first direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations since March 2022, though prospects for a ceasefire remain uncertain.