Russia on Wednesday announced the members of its delegation for the first high-level talks with Ukraine in three years. The two sides will reportedly be meeting on Thursday in Turkey.

Moscow is sending Vladimir Medinsky, an assistant to President Vladimir Putin. He served as the head of the Russian delegation in ceasefire negotiations in 2022. He will be joined in Istanbul by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, chief of military intelligence agency Igor Kostyukov and Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin.

Ukrainian leaders have not said where in Turkey they want the talks to take place. However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted that he and Putin meet face-to-face. Reuters reported that he is heading to the capital, Ankara.

Taras Berezovets, a military and political analyst at the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine, said the talks offer a chance for the Ukrainians to show US President Donald Trump that they are serious about coming to a deal.

Berezovets said: "For Ukraine, it would be very much important to meet Russians on any level, even on a level of foreign ministers, because Trump should be persuaded that Ukraine is seeking these peace talks, that Ukraine's ready for ceasefire, unlike Russia."

He added that Russian propaganda has depicted Zelenskyy as an outlaw, so it would be humiliating for Putin to meet him. He believes direct talks between the two leaders is unlikely.