Delegations of US, Ukraine, Turkiye meet in Istanbul ahead of Russia-Ukraine peace talks

ISTANBUL - Delegations from the United States, Ukraine and Turkiye convened at the Dolmabahce Presidential Office here on Friday for the first trilateral meeting ahead of the Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

The US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack, and Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg.

Representing Ukraine were Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office, Rustem Umerov, defense minister, and Andrii Sybiha, foreign minister.

One photo of the meeting, closed to the press, was released by officials, showing Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan chairing the session, accompanied by Ibrahim Kalin, director of the National Intelligence Organization.

Following the trilateral meeting, a separate session will be held between delegations from Russia, Ukraine and Turkiye. The Russian delegation will be led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky.

The talks mark the first direct engagement between Ukrainian and Russian officials since their meeting in Istanbul in March 2022, which concluded without a ceasefire agreement.