Media: What to expect from potential new Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul

May 12, 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer for Ukraine to resume direct talks in Istanbul on May 15 “without any preconditions” was the main result of the four-day events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War, Vedomosti notes.

Putin made the statement the same day as Ukraine and its European allies – France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom – called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting on May 12. Otherwise, they said, Russia will have to face more sanctions. EU countries seem to still believe that Ukraine is capable of defending its positions on the battlefield, which is why they continue to provide military support to Kiev, Pavel Timofeev, head of the Sector of Regional Problems and Conflicts at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, noted.

Russia has never refused to hold talks, nor has it ever put forward preconditions, Nikolay Silayev, senior researcher with the Center of Caucasian Studies at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, emphasized. As for the agenda of potential talks, the parties need to build upon the draft agreement that was reached in the previous round of Istanbul talks, only recognizing Russia’s new border, he said. Silayev points out that Putin’s statement was important for US President Donald Trump who is unprepared to engage in a confrontation with Russia at a scale that was maintained by his predecessor but on the other hand, he is also unwilling to abandon Ukraine, which is seen as a foreign policy asset by the US and the West in general.

The main challenge lies in the position of Ukraine and European countries who insist that a ceasefire must come first, Valdai International Discussion Club expert Andrey Kortunov observed. According to him, “such a plan does not suit Russia because there is no guarantee that Ukraine will abide by a ceasefire.” The analyst expects several rounds of mediation diplomacy to take place in the next three days in order to bring the positions of Russia and Ukraine closer together.

Putin has made another grandmaster move. The offer of an immediate launch of talks in Istanbul without preconditions is pulling the rug from under the Kiev regime and its sponsors, Diplomatic Academy Vice Principal Oleg Karpovich told Izvestia. Moscow realizes that a ceasefire is only possible in a situation where Kiev agrees to engage in a serious dialogue that would take Russia’s demands into account. Perhaps, the pressure that the Zelensky regime is facing from Trump will eventually accelerate things forward, the expert concluded.

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