US President Donald Trump will not attend the talks between Russia and Ukraine scheduled to take place in Türkiye on May 15, according to reports from Sky News and CNN, citing US officials. The decision was made after the Kremlin released the list of the Russian delegation, which does not include Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump had previously expressed that he might consider attending the talks if Putin decided to participate. However, with Putin absent, Trump opted against making the trip. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that he is waiting to see who will represent Russia before determining Ukraine’s next steps. Zelensky is expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Thursday. If Putin agrees to join the talks in Istanbul, both Zelensky and Erdoğan would travel there to meet with him.

On May 14, the Kremlin announced the official composition of the Russian delegation for the talks. Putin’s aide, Vladimir Medinsky, will lead the group. Medinsky previously headed the Russian negotiating team in 2022. Other key members include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Military Intelligence Chief Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin. Additionally, a group of experts will be present, including Alexander Zorin, Elena Podobryevskaya, Alexey Polishchuk, and Vladimir Shevtsov.

The Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul on May 15, as reported by Interfax, ahead of the planned discussions. The talks are set to commence in a closed-door format at 10 a.m. local time, according to TASS. Notably absent from the delegation are high-ranking officials such as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov. Zelensky has indicated that he will not engage with lower-level officials if Putin does not attend.

While Kyiv and its allies have pushed for an unconditional ceasefire starting May 12 as a preliminary step towards negotiations, Russia has not acknowledged this proposal. In the United States, President Trump had initially expressed interest in attending the talks but ultimately decided against it. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Turkey on May 14 and held meetings with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Antalya. Sybiha also met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Istanbul alongside Rubio on May 16 to engage in further discussions regarding Ukraine.