Putin approves composition of delegation for talks with Ukraine, headed by his assistant Medinsky
Vladimir Putin approved the composition of the delegation for negotiations with Ukraine, which included: Vladimir Medinsky, Mikhail Galuzin, Igor Kostyukov, and Alexander Fomin.
The delegation's negotiating group included high-ranking officials from the Russian security and diplomatic agencies. In particular, these are: Vladimir Medinsky - Putin's assistant and head of the delegation, who headed the Russian delegation in Istanbul in the spring of 2022; Mikhail Galuzin - Lavrov's deputy; Igor Kostyukov - Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army; and Alexander Fomin - Deputy Minister of Defense.
The delegation also included four experts on military, humanitarian and political issues: Zorin – First Deputy Chief of Information of the General Staff, Podobreyevskaya – Deputy Head of the Presidential Department for State Policy in the Humanitarian Sphere, Polischuk – Director of the Second Department of the CIS Countries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shevtsov – Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he was waiting for confirmation of the composition of the Russian delegation for the negotiations in Istanbul before planning Ukrainian actions.
"Today we held several meetings with the team regarding the format in Turkey. I expect who will arrive from Russia, then I will determine what steps Ukraine should take. The signals from them in the media are still unconvincing, but we also hear that President Trump is considering the possibility of being in Turkey. So, this may become the strongest argument. A week can really change a lot," the head of state said in an evening address.