Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) shook hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Turkish President's Palace meeting on Thursday. Turkish President/AP Closed subtitles
Kiev and Moscow - After days of intense speculation, Russian President Vladimir Putin and even President Trump will participate in hopes of substantial negotiations in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine.
Only one leader - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared in Türkiye. He faced Putin in 2019 for the last time. Now, he accuses Russian leaders of fear of meeting again as Russia continues to attack Ukraine.
In a decision made public only on the eve of the talks, Putin named a group of middle-level technical experts to lead the Russian delegation. A Kremlin spokesman later confirmed that Putin would not join them.
When Zelenskyy spoke from the apron when he arrived in the Turkish capital on Thursday, he told reporters that Putin was delivering "substitute props" to his place.
"We need to understand the level of the Russian delegation, what their mission is, and whether they have the ability to make any decisions themselves," Zelenskyy said. "Because we all know who makes the decision in Russia."
However, Vladimir Medinsky, the presidential assistant to the Russian delegation, insisted that his team came to Turkey and had full power to negotiate.
Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky addressed reporters at the Russian consulate in Istanbul on Thursday. Francisco Seco/AP Closed subtitles
"The purpose of direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side is to establish a long-term peace, which takes into account the root causes of the conflict," Medesky told a group of journalists outside the Dormabach Palace in Istanbul.
There is a catch: Zelenskyy and most Ukrainian delegations are still in Ankara nearly 300 miles away.
Zelenskyy later confirmed that he would send his team to meet with Russians in Istanbul, although the exact start date of the discussion is unclear. Zelenskyy himself will not participate in the discussion.
Putin announced direct negotiations with Ukraine at the Kremlin on Sunday, an apparent anti-contract against Ukraine and its Western allies, agreeing to immediately stop the ceasefire from May 12 to May 12 or face further sanctions.
Instead of resolving the ceasefire proposal, Putin suggested that both sides gather in Istanbul, a plan that failed negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in 2022.
It is not clear whether Putin himself intends to participate.
Zelenskyy promised to participate in the negotiations and challenge Putin to do the same.
President Trump is currently traveling in the Middle East and he also said he is willing to show up - exaggerating that the Kremlin leaders are acceptable.
However, Trump turned around while speaking in Doha, Qatar on Thursday. Trump said he never promised to attend and did not think Putin would "if I didn't go."
"It turned out to be true," Trump added. "But there are people there."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds a NATO summit in Antalya, Turkey, and can attend the talks.
Trump also opened up negotiations for a later “if appropriate”, adding that “until Putin and I got together” secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
This is a developing story that can be updated.