Zelenskyy approves delegation of 12 for talks with Russia in Istanbul

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 15 May approved the composition of the Ukrainian delegation for talks with Russia in Istanbul on achieving a just and lasting peace.

Source: Zelenskyy’s decree No. 306/2025 on the website of the Office of the President, as reported by European Pravda

Details: As announced, the delegation for negotiations with the Russian Federation will be headed by Defence Minister Rustem Umierov. It also includes:

• Serhii Kyslytsia, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine;
• Oleksandr Poklad, Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine;
• Oleh Luhovskyi, First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service;
• Oleksii Shevchenko, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
• Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Head of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence;
• Yevhen Shynkarov, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force Command;
• Oleksandr Diakov, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces of Ukraine;
• Oleksii Malovatskyi, Head of the International and Operational Law Department of the Central Legal Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
• Oleksandr Sherikhov, Senior Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
• Heorhii Kuzmychov, Protocol Officer of the Office for Support of the Operational Activities of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
• Oleksandr Bevz, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President.

Zelensky's decree also stipulates that the head of the delegation may, in agreement with him, change the delegation's composition and approve secret negotiating directives.

Background:

• Zelenskyy left for Ankara, awaiting the arrival of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
• However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin will not travel to Istanbul for talks with the Ukrainian delegation. Instead, Russia has sent a low-level delegation headed by Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky.
• In view of this, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio does not believe that the negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul will lead to any breakthrough.
• Late on 14 May, Putin approved the composition of the Russian delegation for talks with Ukraine in Türkiye on 15 May. Putin himself is not on the list. Medinsky has been appointed as the head of the delegation. He led the Russian negotiating team in 2022 when Ukrainian and Russian delegations met.

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