I urge Putin to grant his delegation real authority – Zelenskyy
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged dictator Vladimir Putin to grant his delegation real authority to help end the war.
The head of state shared the message on Telegram, Censor.NET reports.
He reminded that Russia had sent a low-level delegation to the talks in Istanbul.
"There is not a single person in that delegation who actually makes decisions in Russia. Nevertheless, I sent our team, led by Ukraine’s Defense Minister, to Istanbul — at the very least to find out whether these Russians are capable of making any decisions at all.
Ukraine is prepared to take all realistic steps to end this war. I urge Putin to give his delegation real authority. Throughout the day, I will keep everyone informed about what is happening in Istanbul — and whether there is any chance the Russian delegation will take real steps to stop the killing and bring this war to an end," Zelenskyy said.
Earlier, media reported that Russia is demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from what it claims to be "its" territory.
Talks in Turkey
On the night of May 11, Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine "without any preconditions" in Turkey on May 15.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Ukraine must immediately agree to Russia’s proposal for direct talks in Turkey.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would personally wait for Putin on May 15. He also noted that he would like Trump to be present in Turkey as well.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin officially approved the composition of the delegation that will travel to Istanbul on May 15 for negotiations with Ukraine.
On May 15, the Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for talks with Ukraine.
It was later reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would send a Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul for negotiations with the Russian side.
Russian media later reported that the negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul had been rescheduled for May 16.
On the evening of May 15, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the composition of the Ukrainian delegation for participation in the negotiation process with the Russian Federation in Türkiye, scheduled for May 15–16.
On May 16, in the second half of the day, a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations began, with participation from the Turkish side.
