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Erdogan to meet with Zelensky, attend events in Ankara until Thursday evening

Simultaneously, Istanbul is expected to host talks between negotiators from Russia and Ukraine

ANKARA, May 15. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will stay in Ankara, where he is scheduled to attend official meetings, until late on Thursday, according to his agenda shared with the press.

At around 1:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. GMT), Erdogan should hold an official welcome ceremony for Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, to be followed by one-on-one talks, talks with the two leaders’ delegations, and a lunch meeting.

After that, at around 3:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. GMT), Erdogan is scheduled to attend a meeting at the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). And at 5:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. GMT), he should take part in another official event.

Simultaneously, Istanbul is expected to host talks between negotiators from Russia and Ukraine. The Russian delegation is headed 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.

Speaking to reporters in the Kremlin in the small hours of May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited the Kiev authorities to resume the direct talks they broke off in 2022. Zelensky shared his plans to arrive in Istanbul on Thursday. His statement came after US President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to immediately agree to Putin’s proposal to negotiate. Before that, Zelensky insisted talks with Moscow be preceded by a 30-day ceasefire.

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Recep Tayyip Erdogan Vladimir Zelensky

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