Vladimir Putin has declined to meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul for talks on ending the war in Ukraine. The Russian President is instead sending a low-level delegation headed by Vladimir Medinsky,

If Vladimir Putin comes to Istanbul for negotiations on the war in Ukraine, nothing will come of it. It will be yet another attempt by the Kremlin to influence the peace talks, Ukrainian political analyst Taras Zahorodniy says in an interview on the YouTube channel of RBC-Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin will not attend Thursday’s Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, despite calls from Zelensky, Trump and Brazilian President Lula. Kremlin named a delegation of military and intelligence officials instead.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he will personally try to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend face-to-face peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul on Thursday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is unlikely to participate in negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, scheduled for May 15, according to Kommersant. The Russian outlet does not specify who exactly provided this information.