Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to abstain from attending peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul proves he never took the process seriously, a former Tory MP and British Army officer has said. Tobias Ellwood, now a Distinguished Fellow with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), also believes Putin’s ultimate goal – of conquering the whole of Ukraine – has not changed in the least since 2022.
Mr Ellwood was commenting after the Kremlin revealed the Russian delegation will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, with Putin not even travelling. And Mr Ellwood dismissed the move as little more than a smokescreen, telling Express.co.uk: “I’ve heard of this guy – an aide to the president. So Putin is not taking this seriously,” referring to Mr Medinsky, who will once again lead Russia’s delegation when talks resume on May 15. He said: “It’s a bit like a general sending in their aide-de-camp instead of going themselves.”
Talks are set to restart in Istanbul for the first time since they broke down more than two years ago. Mr Medinsky, a Kremlin aide and former culture minister, also headed the Russian side in 2022 during previous rounds of negotiations, including those held in Belarus and Turkey.
The new delegation also includes senior figures such as Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin; Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin; and Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces – Russia’s military intelligence agency.
Also listed as part of the expanded team are Alexander Zorin, first deputy head of the information department at the General Staff; Yelena Podobreyevskaya, deputy head of the Presidential Directorate for State Policy in the Humanitarian Area; Alexey Polishchuk, director of the Second Department of CIS countries at the Foreign Ministry; and Viktor Shevtsov, a senior official in the Defence Ministry’s international cooperation unit.
Despite the range of titles, Mr Ellwood warned against assuming Moscow is sincere. He said: “It’s another build-up to nothing. Just what Putin does well.”
Putin publicly offered on May 11 to restart direct talks with Ukraine “without any conditions” – but the announcement was met with scepticism across Europe and in Washington.
The 2022 talks, mediated in part by Turkey and involving Ukrainian negotiators under President Volodymyr Zelensky’s supervision, collapsed amid reports that then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had privately urged Kyiv not to make concessions.
Russia later claimed the talks were suspended at Britain’s suggestion, a version of events denied by Ukrainian officials.
Mr Ellwood said: “His long-term intentions have not changed – in which case talks are pointless.”
He also accused the Russian leader of repeating a familiar tactic. He said: “It’s long been his strategy – to stall for time, do damage and plot another assault on Kyiv.”
The Ukrainian government has signalled it will attend the Istanbul round, but insists no deal can be made unless Russia withdraws its forces from all occupied territory – a position Moscow continues to reject.
While a 30-day ceasefire proposal has been floated by European governments, including France and Germany, Russia has made no formal commitment to pause its military operations. The United States has also called for a verifiable halt to hostilities before substantive dialogue can begin.
With Putin remaining in Moscow and sending a delegation instead, doubts persist over whether the talks are designed to end the war – or simply to buy more time. As in 2022, the Kremlin appears focused on projecting an image of engagement while leaving room to blame others if the process stalls again.
Posting on X prior to the announcemnt, Ukainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Today we held several meetings with the team regarding the format in Türkiye. I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take.
“So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing.
“We also hear that President Trump is considering attending the meeting in Türkiye. That could become the strongest argument. This week really may change a lot — but only may. Everything is being decided right now.
“Russia is only prolonging the war and the killings. I want to thank every country, every leader who is now putting pressure on Russia, so that the shelling finally stops, so that meaningful negotiations can take place at a level where real decisions can be made. To everyone helping peace and diplomacy — thank you.”