Ukrainian delegation holds high-level coordination talks with US, UK, French, and German officials in Istanbul
Ukrainian top officials concluded a key meeting in Istanbul with national security advisors from France, Germany, the UK, and US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg, Suspilne reported, citing diplomatic sources, on May 16.
Later in the day, Yermak confirmed in a Telegram post that the Ukrainian delegation met with Keith Kellogg (representing President Trump), Jonathan Powell (UK), Emmanuel Bonne (France), and Günter Sautter (Germany) to align positions ahead of the anticipated talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations.
“Ukraine is ready for peace and for a lasting, unconditional ceasefire," he wrote.
"We are also prepared for meetings and negotiations at the highest level. The Ukrainian delegation is in Istanbul today to achieve an unconditional ceasefire — that is our top priority.”
On May 15, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Ankara for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Ukrainian delegation includes Presidential Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, diplomatic advisor Ihor Zhovkva, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Security Service Chief Vasyl Maliuk, and representatives of Ukraine’s defense and Intelligence sectors.
The Kremlin confirmed that dictator Vladimir Putin will not attend the talks with Ukraine in person. Instead, Moscow sent a familiar lower-level delegation: aide Vladimir Medinsky, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, and General Staff deputy chief Igor Kostyukov. According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, bilateral talks may have begun in the afternoon of May 15 in Istanbul.
After his meeting with Erdoğan, Zelenskyy announced that — “out of respect for Donald Trump” — he will send Ukraine’s delegation to Istanbul, despite the absence of a proper Russian counterpart. The Ukrainian team will be led by Defense Minister Umerov.
Two trilateral meetings are scheduled: one between Ukraine, the US, and Türkiye at 10:45 local time, and another between Ukraine, Russia, and Türkiye at 12:30.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
