Russian Interfax reported that the Russian delegation in Istanbul has been waiting for a meeting with Ukrainian negotiators for the second day.
“Tomorrow morning at 10:00, we will be waiting for the Ukrainian side, which should arrive for the meeting,” Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky told Russian journalists late Thursday.
Direct talks between representatives of Russia and Ukraine were supposed to start at the Dolmabahce Presidential Palace on Thursday, May 15, but they never started.
The Ukrainian delegation arrived in Ankara the day before with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky announced that he was sending a delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to negotiate with the Russian side.
The Russian delegation, led by Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, waited for the Ukrainian negotiators from morning until late evening. At the end of the day, it met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and returned to the Russian Consulate General to confirm its readiness to hold talks on Friday.
