LAST UPDATE: 15:07
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced from Ankara that he will not personally travel to Constantinople for talks with Russian representatives but will instead send a Ukrainian delegation headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. “There is nothing for me to do in Constantinople,” Zelensky stated firmly.
Speaking at a press conference following his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Zelensky confirmed that the Ukrainian delegation has been instructed to focus on discussing a ceasefire. He added that he is awaiting confirmation from the United States and Turkey regarding the exact timing of the meeting in Constantinople.
On the Russian side, Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation for peace talks and currently in Constantinople, expressed readiness for “possible compromises” and a willingness to discuss them with the Ukrainian representatives.
“We are ready to work, to resume the negotiations in Constantinople. We are prepared to consider possible compromises and discuss them,” Medinsky said in an interview with Russian television.
Zelensky–Erdoğan Meeting Concludes in Ankara
The high-level talks between President Zelensky and President Erdoğan concluded in Ankara, with the fate of the Ukrainian-Russian dialogue in Constantinople still uncertain. According to a journalist from Agence France-Presse, the meeting lasted approximately three to four hours in various formats and was described as “good” by a senior Ukrainian official.
Zelensky is expected to hold a press conference later in the day from the Turkish capital, according to The Guardian.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that there are “several reasons to be hopeful” about the success of the upcoming peace negotiations.
