Zelensky arrives in Ankara ahead of Ukraine–Russia talks, accuses Moscow of sending 'prop' delegation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Ankara, where he plans to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Ukraine–Russia negotiations are set to begin in Istanbul.

Upon his arrival, Zelensky held a brief press conference at the Ankara airport.

“We will start our meetings with President Erdoğan and Turkey’s full extended delegation. We’re in contact with the U.S. side, who I believe will also be present in Turkey at a high level. We’ll see what level the Russians show up at — so far, officially it’s unknown, but from what we’ve seen, theirs looks like more of a prop delegation. We’ll see if they actually have a mandate to make decisions,” Zelensky said.

He added that his next steps would depend on the outcome of the meeting with Erdoğan, which is expected to last several hours.

Zelensky also stressed that Ukraine’s delegation is of the “highest level,” including representatives from the Foreign Ministry, the presidential office, the military, and all branches of intelligence, to ensure they are prepared to “make any decisions necessary for the just peace we expect.”

On Wednesday evening, the Kremlin announced the composition of its delegation. It will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, GRU (Military Intelligence) Chief Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin.

Zelensky has said he is willing to meet with Putin in person, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin will definitely not travel to Turkey for the talks.