Negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations delayed by a day

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed Russia for not taking peace talks seriously by sending a delegation that he said lacked decision-makers.

The peace talks which were scheduled for Thursday but have reportedly been delayed until Friday without a face of between Ukraine and Russia's leaders.

Our Kim Bo-kyoung reports.

All eyes were fixed on the first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in more than three years, which were supposed to take place on Thursday but are now expected to happen on Friday in Istanbul.

However, the negotiations failed to materialize amid criticism over the standard of the Russian delegation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was a noticeable absence on Moscow's list of attendees despite proposing the talks and a challenge from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face to face.

While making his announcement regarding the team headed by his defense minister to Istanbul for the peace talks, Zelenskyy criticized Moscow for not taking the negotiations seriously.

"After we understood the level of the Russian delegation, we see that, unfortunately, they are not taking the real negotiations very seriously. So far, we do not see among those present anyone who actually makes decisions."

The sides have also been separated with regard to the outcomes they each want from the direct talks.

While Ukraine's top priority is a ceasefire, the Russian delegation, led by Vladimir Medinsky, said their goal was to "eliminate the basic root causes of the conflict", and to sooner or later establish long-term peace.

He added that these negotiations are a continuation of the peace process that fell through in 2022, when Ukraine saw Russian demands as a threat to its sovereignty.

Regarding the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday expressed limited optimism, saying Washington frankly does not have high expectations of the negotiations.

Speaking to reporters in the southern Turkish city of Antalya, he said only the direct engagement between the U.S. and Russia could result in a breakthrough.

"And frankly at this point I think it's abundantly clear that the only way we're going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin."

Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.