Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a late-evening meeting on Thursday with the Russian delegation ahead of the highly anticipated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Constantinople.
According to a statement issued shortly before 21:30 local time, the Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed: “The meeting has begun.” Fidan is meeting with the Russian team led by Vladimir Medinsky, advisor to President Vladimir Putin, at the Dolmabahçe Palace—where the talks with the Ukrainian delegation are expected to begin.
The Turkish ministry added that all delegations are scheduled to reconvene on Friday. “Tomorrow, the American delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Ukrainian delegation headed by the Minister of Defense, and the Russian delegation will be in Constantinople together with Minister Fidan,” the statement noted.
Earlier in the day, Rubio, speaking after a NATO meeting in Antalya, expressed cautious expectations: “I’ll be honest—I don’t think we have high hopes for what will happen tomorrow,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump indicated he may make a stop in Constantinople for the talks, though he is expected to return to Washington after his Gulf tour. “We’re leaving tomorrow—as you know. Almost to an unknown destination. Because there’ll be calls: Can you come here? Can you stop by? But most likely, we’ll return to Washington,” Trump said while signing the guest book at Abu Dhabi’s royal palace.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was in Ankara for bilateral meetings, has now departed Turkey. The Ukrainian delegation heading to the talks in Constantinople will be led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, according to a presidential decree released online.
The Ukrainian team will also include deputy heads of intelligence services, the deputy Chief of the General Staff, and the deputy foreign minister, underlining the strategic importance Kyiv places on the dialogue.
Source: ANA-MPA, Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
