Putin to skip summit with Ukraine and send low-level negotiators
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Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday. Photo: Contributor/Getty Images
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has decided to skip the summit with Ukraine he called for and send a lower level delegation for the direct talks planned to take place in Istanbul on Thursday.
- The latest: President Trump responded to the decision on Thursday, telling reporters: "I don't believe anything is gonna happen, whether you like it or not, before Putin and I get together."
Why it matters: If direct negotiations take place, it will be the first such talks between Russia and Ukraine since March 2022.
- But Putin's decision means there won't be a trilateral leader summit involving him, Trump, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who traveled to Turkey and was prepared to meet Putin.
Catch up quick: Last week, Trump called for a "30-day unconditional ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine and threatened sanctions if this was "not respected."
- On Saturday, Zelensky and the leaders of several NATO countries spoke with Trump over the phone and stressed they're ready for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, starting Monday.
- During the 15-minute call, Zelensky and the NATO leaders told Trump that if a ceasefire is agreed upon, Ukraine is ready to begin direct peace talks with Russia.
- Putin responded to the terms later that evening. And though he didn't accept the ceasefire proposal, he said he is ready to begin direct talks with Ukraine on Thursday in Istanbul.
- A day later Zelensky said he would travel to Turkey to meet with Putin and discuss a "necessary basis for diplomacy" to end the war.
- During his flight to Saudi Arabia on Monday and again on Wednesday morning, Trump suggested he might go himself to Turkey to for a summit with Zelensky and Putin if the Russian leader agreed to attend.
Driving the news: On Wednesday night, after several days of silence, Putin announced he will send a delegation headed by his adviser Vladimir Medinsky to the talks with Istanbul.
- The delegation will also include Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
What to watch: Trump said on Tuesday that he will send Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg for the talks in Istanbul. But it is unclear if the lower-level Russian delegation will change this plan.
- Zelensky is expected to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Thursday. But it was not immediately clear who the Ukrainians were going to send to the talks in Istanbul.
This story was updated with Trump's comments.
