On May 13, 2025, Russian correspondent Alexander Yunashev shared his opinion on a possible trip of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Istanbul for talks with Ukraine scheduled for May 15 in his Telegram channel. According to his assessment, the likelihood of Putin's personal participation is extremely low - about 5%. Yunashev argued this with Kyiv's harsh rhetoric, which, in his words, is far from diplomatic, as well as Putin's commitment to traditional diplomacy, where "basic politeness is not an empty phrase." He also noted the president's legal savvy, pointing out that Volodymyr Zelensky's statements about banning negotiations with Russia "for everyone except himself" have no legal basis in Ukrainian legislation. An additional argument was the lack of preparation of foreign passports for the pool of journalists, which usually precedes Putin's foreign visits.

Yunashev's statement echoes the Kremlin's position. On May 12, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov stressed that "one cannot speak to Russia in the language of ultimatums," commenting on Zelensky's recent statements. Recall that on May 11, Putin rejected Ukraine's offer of a 30-day truce, instead proposing direct talks in Istanbul without preconditions. Zelensky, in turn, in an interview with Liberation confirmed his readiness to discuss a ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners on the principle of "all for all," but expressed skepticism about the trust between the parties, proposing the United States as a mediator.

According to Reuters, the talks in Istanbul will be the first attempt at direct dialogue at the highest level since March 2022, when the parties discussed the “Istanbul communique.” At that time, an agreement on Ukraine’s neutral status collapsed due to disagreements over the status of Crimea and Donbas. The current meeting is being organized with the mediation of Turkey, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for “concrete steps” to cease fire. However, the uncertainty surrounding Putin’s participation remains a key intrigue.