On the eve of crucial negotiations in Istanbul, the Kremlin has released the long-awaited list of delegates who will represent Russia in renewed peace talks with Ukraine. To the surprise of many, President Vladimir Putin is not among them. Instead, the Russian delegation will be led by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky — who previously headed the 2022 discussions — alongside Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin.

Ukraine, along with its allies, had firmly called for Putin’s personal presence at the talks proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. With the delegation revealed at the last possible moment, uncertainty remains over whether the Russian leader might make a last-minute appearance in Istanbul despite not heading the team.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed today that the delegation will indeed attend the meeting in Turkey on Thursday. “The Russian delegation will await the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul,” Peskov stated during his daily press call, reinforcing that President Putin’s offer to reopen talks with Kyiv still stands.

Adding international pressure to the situation, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — who made a stopover in Russia following his visit to China — personally urged Putin by phone to travel to Istanbul and seek a peaceful resolution. Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sibiga echoed that sentiment, urging Putin to stop rejecting a ceasefire and to meet directly with Zelensky. Sibiga’s statement came after a strategic meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Antalya.

As the diplomatic stage is set in Istanbul, hopes for progress are mixed with tension. The world is watching with cautious anticipation — will this be the moment both sides take meaningful steps toward ending a war that has already stretched across years and borders?