President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the composition of the delegation that will participate in negotiations with Russia in Istanbul. Rustem Umerov will head the Ukrainian negotiating team. According to the decree, the head of the delegation may make changes to its composition.
This is stated in decree No. 306/2025, published on the website of the President of Ukraine.
“To form a Ukrainian delegation to participate in the negotiation process with Ukraine’s international partners – delegations from the Republic of Turkey and the United States of America, as well as with representatives of the Russian Federation, scheduled for May 15-16, 2025 (Istanbul, Republic of Turkey), to achieve a just and lasting peace,” the document says.
Ukraine will be represented at the negotiations by:
- Rustem Umerov – Minister of Defense of Ukraine, head of the delegation;
- Serhiy Kyslytsya, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, member of the delegation;
- Oleksandr Poklad, Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, member of the delegation;
- Oleg Lugovsky, First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, member of the delegation;
- Oleksiy Shevchenko, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, member of the delegation;
- Vadym Skibitsky – Deputy Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, member of the delegation
- Yevhen Shynkarov – Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, member of the delegation;
- Oleksandr Dyakov – Deputy Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, member of the delegation;
- Oleksiy Malovatsky – Head of the International and Operational Law Department of the Central Legal Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, member of the delegation;
- Oleksandr Sherikhov – Senior Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, member of the delegation;
- Georgy Kuzmichov – Protocol Officer of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, member of the delegation;
- Alexander Bevz – Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, member of the delegation.
Earlier, Zelenskyy said that the composition of the Russian delegation sent by Putin to Istanbul shows that Moscow is not serious about the negotiations. The delegation does not include high-ranking officials of the aggressor country who actually make decisions.