Turkey will take part in two trilateral meetings on Friday in Istanbul as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Turkish foreign ministry sources have told Reuters, which will include direct talks between Ukraine and Russia. The news agency reports that a meeting between Turkish, US and Ukrainian officials is scheduled to take place at 7.45 GMT, followed by talks between Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian delegations at 9.30 GMT. Ukraine’s delegation will be headed up by the country’s defence minister, while Vladimir Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky will lead the Russian party. Hello, and welcome to our rolling coverage of the war in Ukraine, as diplomatic efforts continue in Turkey. Turkish foreign ministry sources said Turkey will take part in two trilateral meetings on Friday in Istanbul. A meeting between Turkish, US and Ukrainian officials is set for 7.45 GMT, followed by talks between Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian delegations at 9.30 GMT, the sources said. Vladimir Putin opted not to travel to Istanbul, instead sending a second-tier delegation to planned peace talks, while Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his defence minister would head up Kyiv’s team. Yesterday hopes of a major breakthrough were further dented by US President Donald Trump, who said there would be no movement without a meeting between himself and Putin. US secretary of state Marco Rubio later echoed that view, telling reporters in the Turkish resort of Antalya that Washington “didn’t have high expectations” for the Ukraine talks in Istanbul. Zelenskyy said Putin’s decision not to attend but to send what he called a “decorative” lineup showed the Russian leader was not serious about ending the war. Russia accused Ukraine of trying “to put on a show” around the talks. “We can’t be running around the world looking for Putin,” Zelenskiy said after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. Meanwhile British prime minister Keir Starmer said Putin “must pay the price for avoiding peace” ahead of a European Political Community meeting in Albania on Friday. We will be following today’s developments. Stick with us.
Author: Martin Belam