Sergey Lavrov's absence casts doubt on Moscow's Istanbul plans

• Sergey Lavrov will not appear at talks in Istanbul. The Russian newspaper "Kommersant" reported that the Russian Foreign Minister will not represent the country at the meeting about the war in Ukraine.
• Unknown composition of the Russian delegation. It has not been disclosed who will replace Lavrov in the talks. Earlier, it was speculated that it could be Yuri Ushakov, an advisor to Vladimir Putin.
• Zelensky's expectations: The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, expects Russia to agree to a complete and permanent ceasefire. He stated that on Thursday he will be waiting for Vladimir Putin in Turkey.

The decision of Sergey Lavrov's absence at the talks in Istanbul surprised many observers. The lack of official confirmation of who will represent Russia raises questions about Moscow’s strategy in the context of negotiations concerning the war in Ukraine.

So far, it has not been disclosed who will replace Lavrov in the talks. Earlier reports suggested that Yuri Ushakov, an advisor to Vladimir Putin on foreign policy, could be one of the participants.

However, the lack of official information on this subject leaves many doubts about the composition of the Russian delegation.

The American delegation will include the special envoy of the U.S. President, Steve Witkoff, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In a conversation with journalists on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said that he does not rule out the possibility of also participating in the meeting.

Let’s recall that over three years after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin proposed direct talks with Volodymyr Zelensky, which were to be held this week without any preconditions. Zelensky accepted this proposal but stressed that Ukraine would agree to peace talks only if the Kremlin accepts a 30-day ceasefire. This proposal was made by the United States two months ago.