Putin holds meeting with foreign, defense ministers ahead of Istanbul peace talks

MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with his foreign and defense ministers as well as intelligence and military chiefs ahead of peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, the Kremlin said Thursday.

"Before the departure of our delegation to Istanbul yesterday evening, President Putin held a meeting on preparations for the upcoming negotiations with the Ukrainian side," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

The Wednesday night gathering was attended by members of the Russian negotiating team, as well as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Russian Guard head Viktor Zolotov, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoygu, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, and Federal Security Service head Alexander Bortnikov, said Peskov.

Putin on Wednesday signed an order on the composition of his country’s delegation for the direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday.

The order, which was posted on the Kremlin website, said the delegation will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and will also include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Russian General Staff Director Main Intelligence Directorate head Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.

The statement also mentioned experts for the negotiations.

During Istanbul peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in March 2022, a draft peace agreement was agreed upon, but the Ukrainian side withdrew from the negotiation process.

According to the head of the Ukrainian delegation at those talks, David Arakhamia, this was done on the advice of Boris Johnson, who was then Britain’s prime minister.