Zelenskyy Attends Turkey Peace Talks as Putin Skips, Sends Low-Level Delegates

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Turkey for long-anticipated peace talks aimed at ending the war with Russia, but Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend, sending a delegation led by his aide Vladimir Medinsky instead. Zelenskyy insisted he would only negotiate directly with Putin, dismissing the presence of lower-level Russian officials as insufficient for meaningful progress. The Russian delegation includes officials who were part of the failed 2022 negotiations that attempted to impose harsh surrender terms on Ukraine, and Medinsky himself is sanctioned by the US and Canada for spreading disinformation. Western officials criticized Putin's absence as a sign of bad faith, dampening hopes for a breakthrough. Talks were held in private in Istanbul with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressing cautious optimism but acknowledging the difficult impasse. The absence of both Putin and US President Donald Trump, who is on a Middle East tour, further reduced expectations for a significant resolution to the conflict.