Ukraine, Russia prepare for peace talks in Istanbul as Zelenskyy meets Erdogan in Ankara

Ukrainian and Russian delegations were expected to meet for peace talks on Thursday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

Upon arriving in Ankara, Zelenskyy told reporters that Ukraine's delegation included top-level representatives from the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, military and intelligence agencies.

"We have a top-level delegation," he said, although he noted that the composition of the Russian delegation had not yet been officially communicated.

Zelenskyy also emphasized that decisions on the next steps in the negotiation process would be made after his discussions with Erdogan. "We need to understand what level of the Russian delegation (we're dealing with) and what mandate they have," he said.

The talks followed a proposal from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday to resume direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15. Zelenskyy confirmed his participation and expressed hope of meeting with Putin, but the Russian leader has yet to show up.

The Kremlin earlier announced that Putin will not be joining the Russian delegation for the talks in Istanbul on Thursday, and Russia will be represented by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

While speaking at the NATO informal meeting in Antalya, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, "The talks to be held in Istanbul will hopefully lead us to open a new page."

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday, said he might attend the talks in Istanbul on Friday. "If something (a development) happens and it's appropriate, I might go on Friday," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in Antalya for a NATO foreign ministers' meeting, said Trump supports any initiative that could bring about a just peace.

"There is no military solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict," Rubio said. "We want to see progress made in the coming days."

The last direct talks between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul in March 2022, where the two sides failed to agree to halt the fighting.

(With input from Xinhua)