MOSCOW, May 15 (Bernama-dpa) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend Ukraine peace negotiations in Istanbul, the Kremlin confirmed, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
The Russian president is sending his adviser Vladimir Medinsky to Turkey as head of a delegation, according to a statement from the Kremlin.
There had been much speculation about Putin's attendance in the run-up to the much-anticipated talks in the Turkish metropolis.
His foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov had suggested on Wednesday that Putin was unlikely to attend the talks in Istanbul.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had already confirmed his intention to travel to Turkey personally to meet Putin, arguing that he would not negotiate with any other figure as the Russian president is the decision-maker in the conflict with Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump, currently on a trip to the Gulf, suggested he might also attend the talks if Putin were to do so. "I know he would like me to be there. And that’s a possibility ... I’ve been thinking about that."
Trump added: "Now tomorrow, we’re all booked out, you understand that. We’re going to UAE tomorrow. So we have a very full situation. Now that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it to save a lot of lives and come back."
He said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would definitely be in Turkey.
The White House says Rubio will be joined in Turkey by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg.
-- BERNAMA-dpa
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