On May 16, 2025, negotiations between delegations from Russia and Ukraine began at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul — the first direct contacts since March 2022. The talks are being held with the mediation of Turkey, and also with the participation of US representatives in the format of a trilateral meeting scheduled for the afternoon. According to Reuters, the key goal of the discussions is to achieve a ceasefire, although the positions of the parties remain diametrically opposed.

The Russian delegation is headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, and includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin. The Ukrainian group, approved by a decree of President Volodymyr Zelensky, is headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. It includes 12 people, including First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsya, Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Oleksandr Poklad, and Deputy Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Vadym Skibitsky. The meeting is taking place in a tense atmosphere: Zelensky, while in Ankara, called the Russian delegation "sham", and Medinsky emphasized that Russia views the negotiations as a continuation of the process interrupted in 2022, aimed at "eliminating the underlying causes" of the conflict.

The talks were initiated after Vladimir Putin proposed to resume the Istanbul format on May 11. Zelensky agreed to the dialogue, but insisted on Putin's presence, which did not happen.