All news

UN secretary general not to partake in talks between Russia, Ukraine in Istanbul

On May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Ukraine to resume direct negotiations without preconditions, interrupted in 2022

UN, May 14. /TASS/. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres does not intend to come to Istanbul to participate in the negotiations between Moscow and Kiev on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, said Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq.

"The secretary general will not be," he said at a briefing. "He's in Berlin, and he will be heading from Berlin through a different stop to Baghdad."

On May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Ukraine to resume direct negotiations without preconditions, interrupted in 2022. He proposed to start the dialogue on May 15 in Istanbul.

Vladimir Zelensky promised to be in Istanbul on May 15 after American leader Donald Trump called on Ukraine to immediately agree to the negotiations proposed by Putin.

A White House official said on May 13 that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US special envoy Steven Witkoff and US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg would all join the talks in Istanbul.