Moscow is gearing up for renewed peace negotiations with Ukraine, signaling a willingness to engage in dialogue and even consider potential compromises, according to Vladimir Medinsky, the Kremlin’s chief negotiator.
Speaking from Istanbul—where both Russian and Ukrainian teams have arrived for discussions—Medinsky noted that the Russian side is “in a working mood” and prepared to pick up where things left off.
“We’re ready to talk. We’re open to restarting the Istanbul talks and exploring areas where compromise might be possible,” Medinsky told reporters while awaiting the start of the meetings. He emphasized that Russia’s delegation isn’t just for show—it includes top-ranking officials from all the key government branches.
Alongside Medinsky are Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin, and military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov—suggesting Moscow is taking the effort seriously.
On the Ukrainian side, things have shifted. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who previously insisted that no negotiations could happen without a full 30-day ceasefire, appears to have softened his stance—particularly after former U.S. President Donald Trump publicly backed talks as the path forward. Zelensky, who has arrived in Türkiye but doesn’t plan to meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has appointed Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to lead Ukraine’s delegation.
While Putin is staying put in Russia for now, these talks mark a potential revival of the peace process that first took place in Istanbul back in 2022—an initiative Ukraine ultimately stepped away from. That earlier round was also headed on Russia’s side by Medinsky, making his return to the table a symbolic as well as practical gesture of continuity.
Whether this latest diplomatic attempt leads to real progress remains to be seen, but both sides now appear poised—at least publicly—to give peace another shot.
