Russian President Vladimir Putin convened a late-night meeting with key ministers and security officials on Wednesday ahead of a new round of direct peace talks with Ukraine scheduled for Thursday in Istanbul, the Kremlin confirmed.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the gathering was held before the departure of Russia’s delegation to Turkey and included top figures such as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoygu, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Russian Guard Commander Viktor Zolotov, and Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov. The meeting focused on final preparations and strategy for the negotiations.
Putin also signed an official order detailing the composition of the Russian delegation, led by his aide Vladimir Medinsky. Other members include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Military Intelligence (GRU) chief Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, alongside a group of negotiation experts.
The new talks mark the first official diplomatic engagement between Russia and Ukraine since the collapse of negotiations in March 2022, when both sides had reached a draft agreement during earlier meetings in Istanbul. Ukrainian chief negotiator David Arakhamia later revealed that Kyiv pulled out of the deal on the advice of then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
