Putin sending low-ranking team to Istanbul talks a mistake, says Rutte

He made the statement after arriving at the summit of the European Political Community in Tirana, la Repubblica reports.

"I think Putin made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation to Istanbul for talks with Ukraine. The ball is clearly in his court. Now it is on his side. He has to cooperate. He has to take the desire for peace seriously," the NATO Secretary General stated.

He said it was very positive that the Ukrainians agreed to sit down at the negotiating table.

"They have sent a delegation that is really ready to negotiate a ceasefire. I am very pleased with the role played by the United States. It is really important. President Trump broke the deadlock, clearly taking the initiative. All of this is extremely useful," Rutte added. 

Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul

In a nighttime address on May 11, Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed he was ready for direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey next week, but he dismissed the idea of a 30-day truce. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would keep working with both sides and predicted that the coming week would be “great.”

On May 12, the German government announced that if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of the day, European partners would begin preparations for new sanctions. In contrast, the Kremlin stated that “the language of ultimatums is unacceptable for Russia.”

Advisor to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would not meet with any Russian representative other than Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15. Later, Zelenskyy himself confirmed his personal visit to Turkey for a meeting with Putin.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the talks in Istanbul with Kyiv should recognize the "realities on the ground," including Russia’s incorporation of Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if his meeting with the Russian leader takes place on May 15 in Turkey, the main topics of discussion will be a complete ceasefire and a full exchange of prisoners of war.

On the evening of May 14, the Russian Federation announced the composition of its delegation for talks with Ukraine in Istanbul.

Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later stated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not be present during the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Turkey on May 15.

On May 16, a trilateral meeting of delegations from Ukraine, the United States, and Turkey took place in Istanbul. Following this, negotiations between representatives of Russia and Ukraine began, with some delay.