Russian delegation arrives in Istanbul for peace talks, Putin not part of team

Istanbul: A Russian delegation has arrived in Istanbul for peace talks with Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin is not part of the delegation.

The Kremlin said that Putin’s aide, Vladimir Medinsky, would lead the talks, accompanied by three other senior officials. Putin has appointed four lower-level officials to represent Russia in the discussions.

Meanwhile, Mikhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that Zelensky would only participate in direct talks with Putin.

A day earlier, Putin held a meeting with senior government officials and members of the delegation ahead of the negotiations.