Who Are Russia and Ukraine Sending to Istanbul Talks?
As Russia and Ukraine prepare for their first direct diplomatic talks since 2022, the composition of their delegations reveals stark contrasts in approach and expectations. Late on May 14, the Kremlin disclosed the names of its delegation for the negotiations proposed by Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, criticizing Putin’s refusal to meet face-to-face, authorized his own delegation to travel to Istanbul, The Gaze reports, citing Reuters.
Russia’s Delegation: Junior Officials and Intelligence Chiefs
Leading the Russian delegation is Vladimir Medinsky, Kremlin aide and a key figure in the failed 2022 peace talks. Medinsky is the chairman of the Russian Military Historical Society and the architect behind a new patriotic history textbook that glorifies Soviet achievements and Russia’s “rebirth” under Putin.
He is joined by Mikhail Galuzin, deputy foreign minister responsible for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and Igor Kostyukov, director of the powerful Russian military intelligence agency GRU. Alexander Fomin, deputy defense minister who also participated in the 2022 talks, completes the core team.
Putin has also approved a range of experts, including Alexander Zorin, known for his role in Syria, Yelena Podobreyevskaya, deputy head of the Kremlin directorate for humanitarian policy, and Alexei Polishchuk, who oversees relations with Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova.
Ukraine’s Delegation: High-Ranking Military and Diplomatic Officials
In contrast, Ukraine is sending a high-level delegation led by Rustem Umerov, defense minister and member of the Crimean Tatar minority. Umerov was also part of the 2022 negotiations.
The delegation includes Serhiy Kyslytsia, first deputy minister of foreign affairs and former ambassador to the UN, and top intelligence officials such as Oleksandr Poklad, deputy head of the SBU domestic intelligence, and Oleh Luhovskyi, deputy head of foreign intelligence.
Ukraine’s military leadership is also heavily represented with Oleksiy Shevchenko, Vadym Skibitskyi, Yevhen Shynkarov, and Oleksandr Diakov, representing the general staff, military intelligence, air force, and naval command, respectively. Additionally, the delegation includes legal, protocol, and presidential aides.
The composition of the delegations underlines the divergence in priorities: while Russia sends a team largely composed of lower-profile officials and intelligence representatives, Ukraine’s delegation includes key defense and security figures, signaling Kyiv’s insistence on serious discussions on security and sovereignty.
The stage is set in Istanbul, but the outlook remains bleak, as both sides prepare for talks amid lingering distrust and hardened positions.
As The Gaze reported, Ukraine will send a delegation headed by its Defence Minister Rustem Umerov to Istanbul, Turkey, for peace talks with Russia on 15 May.
On 14 May, Russian leader Vladimir Putin approved the list of Russian representatives to participate in talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on 15 May, which he did not join.
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