Putin Skips Turkey Peace Talks, Zelenskyy Also Backs Out

Lower-level Russian and Ukrainian teams were set to meet in Istanbul as both leaders opted out, while Trump said only a meeting with Putin can end the deadlock.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a statement to the media at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 11, 2025. Sergey Bobylev/Host agency RIA Novosti/Handout via Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not take part in the Russia–Ukraine peace talks in Turkey this week, the Kremlin has confirmed, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to also back out of his planned in-person attendance, with lower-tier negotiating teams set to face off in Istanbul later on May 15.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on May 15 that while Putin would not be present, Russia had dispatched a delegation that is already on the ground in Istanbul, ready to talk.