MOSCOW. May 15 (Interfax) - The team of Russian negotiators with Ukraine has been prepared, its composition has been determined, and Moscow's negotiating position has been worked out, while it would be too early to speak of the level of future negotiations, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday when asked why President Vladimir Putin did not travel to Istanbul and whether he might join the talks at their next stages.
"The team of Russian negotiators has been prepared, its composition has been determined under the Russian president's directive, Russia's negotiating position has been worked out, and our delegation is in Istanbul today, on May 15, Thursday. It's too early to say what participation and what level would be required later, because we don't know whether the Ukrainian negotiators will show up and how the negotiations would go," Peskov told journalists.
The Russian delegation is ready and waiting in Istanbul, he said.