The Kremlin has announced that Russia will not take part in Ukraine-related talks scheduled for November 19 in Türkiye, despite Kyiv’s efforts to revive stalled negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said earlier that he would travel to Türkiye on Wednesday to push forward diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war. A Turkish source confirmed that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to attend the planned discussions, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow will not send representatives to Istanbul. He added that, for now, discussions are proceeding without Russian participation, though President Vladimir Putin remains open to hearing the outcomes from the U.S. and Türkiye.
Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, will also be absent from the talks. A source close to him said that Dmitriev already held “very productive” discussions with Witkoff during meetings in the United States between October 24 and 26.
Türkiye, a NATO member maintaining working relations with both Russia and Ukraine, has served as a key diplomatic venue since early 2022. However, recent weeks have seen a slowdown in negotiation efforts. U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft last month, accusing Moscow of holding up progress.
The talks in Türkiye are expected to go ahead, but without Russian officials at the table.