Direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine began at 12:45 in Istanbul. At Russia’s express request, US envoys were asked to leave the venue for direct talks.
On May 15, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Europe is crucial in the talks between Russia and Ukraine, a State Department source said after an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya. According to Reuters, citing a department spokesperson, the United States will be represented at the Istanbul talks by the State Department’s director of policy planning, Michael Anton. Donald Trump said he “might” call Russian leader Vladimir Putin to discuss a deal in Ukraine, CNN reports. Meanwhile, the Russian side announced that Putin will make an international phone call.
The EU is considering a full trade embargo on Russia, Politico reports. The EU is preparing a new sanctions package, which will include restrictions over the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion. Ursula von der Leyen also said that the EU could lower the “ceiling” on Russian oil prices. According to Eurostat data: “The EU increases purchases of Russian gas and LNG by 28% in the first quarter.”
On May 15, meetings between Ukrainian and Turkish delegations were held in Ankara. Volodymyr Zelensky and Recep Erdogan spoke for three hours. Anadolu: Erdogan reiterated his commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity; considers Crimea Ukrainian, Zelensky said
On May 16 in Istanbul, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and the head of Zelenskyy’s office Andriy Yermak met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. Around 09:30 Yermak, Sibiga and Umerov met with the national security advisers of France, Germany and Great Britain, Ukrainian media write. Ukrainian representatives spoke with US special representative Kellogg. Around 11 am the meetings with US representatives also ended. “Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire and direct negotiations at the highest level,” said the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the talks with Russia, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. The Ukrainian delegation consists of: Defense Minister Rustem Umerov; First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergiy Olehovych Kyslytsya; Deputy Chairman of the SBU Oleksandr Poklad; First Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Service Oleg Lugovskoy; Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksiy Shevchenko; Deputy Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Vadim Skibitsky; Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Air Force Command Evgeny Shinkarev; Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Naval Forces Command Alexander Dyakov; Head of the Department of International and Operational Law of the Central Legal Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksiy Malovatsky; Senior Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Sherikhov; Protocol Officer of the Support Apparatus of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Georgy Kuzmichev; Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Oleksandr Bevz.
From Russia we learn that Putin has appointed the commander of the Russian ground forces, Oleg Salyukov, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council. He also appoints Andrey Nikolaevich Mordvichev, Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of the Russian Armed Forces. According to Russian social sources, “this is one of the commanders of the groups of troops in the SVO zone, instead of the old-school military leader Salyukov, it is a signal that a new, significant trend will come to the Ground Forces as a whole, and they will be brought up to modern standards”.
The Russian delegation waited all afternoon on the 15th for talks with the Ukrainian side, which were then postponed to May 16. The head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky said: “These negotiations are like a continuation of the peace process, which was interrupted in 2022”. The Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul lasted less than 2 hours. The next round is scheduled for next week. Ukrainian Defense Minister and Head of Delegation Umerov says the talks have opened the way for a possible Putin-Zelensky meeting. Umerov also said both sides have agreed on a large exchange of prisoners of war, 1000 – 1000 although it is not known how. “We will continue the talks. We are satisfied of the outcome,” said Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation.
Zelensky, Starmer, Tusk, Macron and Merz called US President Trump after the conclusion of the Russia-Ukraine talks. Reuters says the Russian delegation demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainians from Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson, including territories not under Russian control. The Economist says the Russian delegation threatened to occupy areas in Kharkov and Sumy to create buffer zones.
Economist journalist Oliver Carroll reported that during the negotiations Medinsky told the Ukrainians: “We don’t want war, but we are ready to fight for a year, two, three, for as long as it takes. We have been fighting with Sweden for 21 years. How long are you prepared to fight?” According to the journalist, Medinsky said that “Sweden would be a great power today if it were not for this.”
And now a look at the military scenarios updated at 16:30 on May 16. Russia has brought home the bodies of 34 Russian soldiers, 909 bodies have been delivered to Kiev, State Duma deputy Shamsail Saraliev, representative of the parliamentary coordination group for military operations, told RBK. On the 15th, the Ukrainian Air Force lost another F-16AM fighter. The number of missing aircraft thus reaches 10 units.
As reported by Ukrainian resources, a mandatory evacuation of the population has been announced in Druzhkivka and Liman, in the Donetsk region, and this also applies to the suburbs. And this means continuing to cover Slov”yans’k and Kramators’k.
During the night, 6 enemy drones were destroyed in the sea some distance from the coast, near Sevastopol, the governor reported. Ukrainian resources reported the presence of more than 40 Russian drones during the night hours. Explosions were heard in the regions of Kiev, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Kropyvnytskyi, Mykolaiv and Odessa.
In the Kursk border area, Ukrainians continue to try to break through. On the 15th in the morning, Russian forces destroyed a vehicle of the engineering and defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that was leaving the settlement of Atyns’ke, Sumy region, as well as a group of motorized infantry on light vehicles that were hit in the village of Tetkino, adjacent to the Russian border. In Ryzhivka (Sumy region), Ukrainian infantry also attempted to cross the border, but was dispersed by artillery and Russian drone attacks. Intense fighting continues to the east, with the Ukrainians using drone strikes to isolate the Russian forward units near Tetkino, making it very difficult to supply them. During the day, Ukrainian FPV drones attacked the city of Rylsk three times.
At least six drone strikes against the region were recorded in the Belgorod region.
In the direction of Liman, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the liberation of the settlement of Tors’ke DPR, about 10 km to the left of Liman.
In Chasiv Yar, Ukrainian channels write about the advance of troops in the development to the west and south of the Chasiv Yar refractory plant.
The offensive of troops in the direction of Kostyantynivka continues. Ukrainians write that to the north of Novoyelenovka, recently taken by Russian forces, Russian forces are storming the southwestern outskirts of Yablunivka and the stronghold located to the west of the residential complex. Near the settlements of: Zorya clashes are taking place, Nova Poltavka, south of Romanivka.
In the direction of Pokrovs’k, Russian armed forces are advancing in the area of Myrolyubivka and Mykhailivka, closing the “pocket” between them.
In the direction of Dnipropetrovsk, the capture of Novooleksandrivka was announced by the Group of Forces “Center” n.p.
In the direction of Donetsk South, units of the 5th Army of the Group of Forces “East” took the settlement Vil’ne Pole, now the aim is to take Bahatyr.
Graziella Giangiulio
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