LOGJAM ON | Trump downplays Russian leader’s decision to skip discussions even as Ukraine president reaches Turkey

AP Istanbul

A low-ranking Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for peace talks with Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday, while a Ukrainian delegation led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which included other senior government figures, landed in the Turkish capital Ankara. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin was not part of the Moscow delegation, according to a list released by the Kremlin on Wednesday night, prompting criticism from Western officials that the Kremlin isn't serious about the peace effort.  Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin, will lead the Russian team that will also include three other senior officials, the Kremlin said. Putin also appointed four lower-level officials as "experts" for the talks. 

Earlier this week, Zelenskyy challenged the Russian leader to meet in person in Turkiye to talk about ending the more than three-year war. Zelenskyy said he would travel to Ankara to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and wait for Putin.

Also in the Ukrainian delegation are Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and the head of the Ukrainian presidential office Andriy Yermak, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons as the team had not yet arrived in Ankara.

Details about whether, when and where the Ukrainian delegation might meet their Russian counterparts are still unclear but is expected to be clarified after Zelenskyy and Erdogan meet, according to a Ukrainian official who requested anonymity to speak openly about the day's plan. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was not surprised that Putin will be a no-show for anticipated peace talks with Ukraine in Turkiye this week.

Trump, who had pressed for Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet in Istanbul, brushed off Putin's apparent decision to not take part in the expected talks. "I didn't think it was possible for Putin to go if I'm not there," Trump said in an exchange with reporters as he took part in a business roundtable with executives in Doha on the third day of his visit to the Middle East.