ANKARA, May 13. /TASS/. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has not yet established an official program for potential talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, the ministry told TASS in response to a request for clarification on the current state of preparations for the meeting.
"If we work out an official program or meeting, this will certainly be announced," the ministry assured.
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. The statement came after US President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to immediately accept Putin’s offer for talks.