MOSCOW, May 15. /TASS/. The world is waiting for Vladimir Zelensky to finally greenlight his negotiators to sit down with Russia in Turkey, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her X social network account on Thursday.
"It’s been nearly 24 hours now that the Russian delegation has been in Istanbul," she said.
"The delegation is waiting for the clown to speak out, for the hallucinogens to wear off, and for him to finally allow those he’s banned from negotiating for three years to sit down at the table," Zakharova stated.
Speaking to reporters in the Kremlin in the early hours of May 11, Putin urged Kiev to resume direct talks suspended in 2022, without preconditions. The plan is to start dialogue in Istanbul on May 15. Putin also recalled that Russia had declared multiple ceasefires that Kiev consistently broke, including a recent truce during the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Vladimir Zelensky, in turn, announced plans to travel to Istanbul on Thursday, following US President Donald Trump's call on Ukraine to immediately accept Putin’s offer for talks. Prior to that, Zelensky had insisted that a 30-day ceasefire should precede any negotiations with Moscow.
The Russian delegation at the negotiations in Istanbul is led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky. The Russian team of negotiators also includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.