Hakan Fidan holds talks with team led by Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky at Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace, says Foreign Ministry
A meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the Russian delegation at Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace has ended, the Foreign Ministry said late Thursday.
The ministry sources said a series of meetings in various formats is expected to be held on Friday amid Istanbul peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Trilateral talks are planned between the US, Ukraine and Türkiye, as well as between Russia, Ukraine and Türkiye, the sources said.
It remains unclear whether a four-way meeting involving the US, Russia, Ukraine and Türkiye will be held.
The Russian delegation is led by Vladimir Medinsky, a presidential aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin. It also includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the General Staff's Main Directorate Igor Kostyukov, Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin, and other experts, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli.
Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he is sending a Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul to have direct negotiations with the Russian side.
The Ukrainian president announced Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will lead the Ukrainian delegation.
“Despite the rather low level of the Russian delegation, out of respect for President Trump, for the high-level Turkish delegation and President Erdogan, and wishing to attempt at least the first steps toward de-escalation and an end to the war, I decided to send our delegation to Istanbul — though not in full,” he said in the Turkish capital.
Zelenskyy departed Türkiye after having a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara. His delegation will remain in Istanbul until Friday.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation, said at a press conference in Istanbul that his team has full authority to discuss all matters necessary for resolving the conflict.
He noted that the delegation was approved by a presidential decree and prepared during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The goal of direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side is to achieve long-term peace,” Medinsky said, calling for a constructive approach to find common ground.
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