Putin and Zelensky to skip Ukraine peace talks

Neither Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky nor Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in the first direct Ukraine peace talks since 2022, dampening hopes for a breakthrough. Putin first proposed direct negotiations for May 15 over the weekend, but the Kremlin later announced he would not be attending.

Putin on Sunday proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday “without any preconditions”. Late on Wednesday, the Kremlin said the delegation would include presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin – but Putin’s name was not on the list.

After the Kremlin’s delegation announcement, a US official said Trump, who is on a three-nation tour of the Middle East, would not attend. The US leader had said earlier that he was considering the option to participate.

While Putin had never confirmed he would attend in person, the absence of the Russian and US presidents lowers the expectations for a major breakthrough in the war that Russia started in February 2022.