Zelenskyy calls Russian delegation "phony", Moscow responds with insults

This comes from Zelenskyy's own statement.

"I don’t yet officially know the level of the Russian side. But from what we’re seeing, it looks phony. We’ll decide what to do and what our next steps will be after meeting with President Erdogan," the president said.

Zelenskyy added that it’s important to understand the makeup of the Russian delegation and what authority its members have — "whether they’re even able to decide anything on their own."

Later, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded to Zelenskyy's comments.

"Who even uses the word 'phony'? A clown? A loser? Someone with unknown education, talking about people with degrees, experience, and service to their country? What gives someone who came to power through media tech and capital the right to question anyone’s qualifications?" said the Foreign Ministry rep.

Zakharova said Zelenskyy has "no right to speak like that about professionals in their field."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also weighed in, calling Zelenskyy a "pathetic person" over his alleged demand that Putin personally attend the talks in Istanbul.

The night before, the Kremlin announced that Putin had approved the lineup for the Russian delegation. It includes Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, head of the General Staff's Main Directorate Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin. Putin himself is not on the list.

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.

Early Thursday morning, May 15, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy arrived on a visit to Ankara, Turkey.