Kremlin still refusing to say whether Putin will attend Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Russia will announce its representative for the expected peace talks in Istanbul once President Vladimir Putin “deems it necessary,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on May 13.

President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Putin to meet in Turkey on May 15 to launch the first direct peace talks since 2022, though the Kremlin has not revealed whether the Russian leader would attend.

Peskov nevertheless said that “the Russian side continues to prepare for the talks in Istanbul."

The Ukrainian Presidential Office has already signaled that Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official except Putin, arguing that only the Russian leader can make fundamental decisions about the war.